TRACK LISTING

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1.  In the Name of River Grand
2.  Hijo de Desierto
3.  Buried Arrows
4.  The Book of Truth
5.  Tchulu Junction
6.  Mean Season Movin’ on
7.  Shunka Sapa

Total playing time:  53:14

Release Date: May 17, 2011
Label: Neurot Records

Across Tundras - Sage

Reviewer: Chris

October 30, 2011

Proving that Nashville isn’t only producing mind-numbingly devalued country music in the current day, Across Tundras makes the doom/stoner genre look a little more gritty and disturbingly thick with its latest offering, Sage. A journey into the din of bass-heavy fog, Across Tundras captures a sullen and stylish sound akin to the psychedelic musings of an otherwise down-tempo outfit and recharges the battery to produce a paced, but brisk meandering through the eve of the focal tundra aforementioned.

Attempting to turn this very low-key sound into a metal venture is seemingly easy enough on the outside, but there is much ado about everything when it comes to just the right ingredients to mix for the perfect marriage of two close cousins. “In the Name of River Grand” spits out the venomous old school rock n’ roll ala Kyuss to a credible degree, but it’s the “Hijo de Desierto” that calls upon a Jim Morrison-like vocal to start the festivities, only to drift back into a subdued and somewhat southern issuance that Ronnie Van Zant himself might have enjoyed, but that’s really where any Skynard comparisons stop; this is not a “Simple Man” band by any means. I seriously don’t think the Lynard boys and girls had it in them to tap into this much tonal somberness. This isn’t necessarily a record that is depressive or morose; the resounding and potent bass manifests its presence at all the right spots as the vocal really reminds me of Morrison without all the pretense and chemical embellishment usually associated with him. It’s more of a laid back vibe that carries well under music that at times sounds a bit like early Alice Cooper ala Muscle of Love and has definitive Pink Floyd sounding passages, especially vital in “The Book of Truth”.

The unavoidable charm of this music is the very late 60’s psychedelic aura prevalent in the tracks just enough to make the presence known but not to drench the music to the point of heavy metal inaccuracy. When the track “Tchulu Junction” slithers over the rumbling bass and drum patterns, you know the tempo has irrevocably switched from the somewhat meditative to the downright evoking. This track sounds like it could well have been on Billion Dollar Babies from Mr. Cooper’s prime years, it’s simply that dark and oppressive. Tanner Olson even sounds a bit like Cooper here ala “Sick Things” or “Ballad of Dwight Frye”, sans cleaner production. While there is nothing bad or unappealing with the edges and bottom end in Sage, the vocals are just a bit low in the mix, but I can easily get past this little nuance by enjoying the music at its most voracious selling points. There is also a very 70’s vibe meshing nicely with the late 60’s essence found on the frayed edges of Sage and it works to a very credible degree.

For a band I’m relatively new to I’m pretty impressed overall with what I’m hearing and would definitely seek out some of the extensive back catalog. I might suggest you do likewise should your inner LSD-laden child need a good thrashing with the doom stick now and again to balance out the scales.