Atlanta’s Insomniac brings the surreal sounds of the early nineties back to life on Om Moksha Ritam (Blues Funeral Recordings). These guys drape brooding baritone vocal lines over layers of atmospheric guitar that swell into big sludge-tinged riffs of epic proportions. On a song like “Mountain,” the twin guitar attack is a dizzying affair that accelerates in an almost Mastodon-like manner. Deceased drummer Amos Rikin keeps the cymbals crashing with enough gusto to move their hypnotic riffage with locomotive momentum. This reaches peak heaviness for these guys when harsher growls roar up from the back of the mix to accent the punchy chugs.
They are not just going for heavy here, as this album is painted with a wide dynamic scope; this is felt on the more abstract arrangement to the more swirling ambiance of “Snow And Ice.” This brings to mind what some might hear as the darker moments of Queens Of The Stone Age or the lighter moments of Acid Bath. They explore a more free-form jam here that winds its way into a harder grunge climax. “Forest” is a trippy power ballad. At four and a half minutes, it’s much more economical in its arrangement. There is more of a Blues swagger to “Sea.” This brings them back to Josh Homme‘s sonic zip code.
While it had to be advised that picking up acoustic guitars on “Desert” would only bring further comparison to nineties Grunge, they followed their artistic vision, which resulted in the predicted comparisons, but drew from that era’s earlier, more experimental days rather than the radio staples that have now become fused with Classic Rock. The only issue here is, the production choice of allowing the drums to sit further back in the mix, where, if they were allowed a boomier sound, it might create a heavy driving backbone. Songs wander before cinching onto the dynamic build that emerges from the more droning moments.
They shift into a more Screaming Trees-like mood on “Awakening.” The guitars carry a more hypnotic simmer. It does build up into a hard-rocking climax as they seem to be prone to doing on this album. Sadly, their guitarist, Mike Morris, passed away after the recording of this album was complete, leaving this as a bittersweet celebration of sound. They have vowed to press on in his honor, and if you are a fan of the early days of Sub-Pop Records, then you should be a fan of these guys as well. Best listened to under the influence of most drugs, do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this album.
Buy the album here:
https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/album/om-moksha-ritam
8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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