Gozer The Traveller "The Space Between" Album Review

 

  Armagh heftmongers Gozer The Traveller are a seriously overlooked/underrated band who've being churning out some quality material for almost a decade,their excellent mix of Stoner Rock laced with heavy sludgy grooves,Southern rock all layered over subtle hints of Blues based rock n roll, although it's being almost 9 years since they released their self titled EP it's like they've returned even better then they were before and have delivered an excellent album in the guise of The Space Between.

  As soon as that first chords hits on opening track Todash one thing that's noticable staright away is the quality in musicianship and overall production, in that every instrument sounds massive,the slow groove laden riffs have a slightly creepy atmosphere,while the vocal delivery has a rawness that is both filthy and fueled with passion, moving onto to the brilliant salvo that is The Great Betrayal, this is stock full of groove laden heavy riffs and  bombastic pace which are driven by those excellent soaring vocals.

  Things get a bit chilled and atmospheric with that beautiful  intro on Gunslinger backed by those raw vocals ,this really ticks all the right boxes for an absolute banger of a track,the guitar work on this is nothing short of phenomenal,this has anthem written all over it and may well be a popular one for live shows,the crushing heaviness of Hinterlands adds another element to the bands overall sound, once again the lead guitar delivers brilliantly executed passages that will get inbedded in your mind, the pace is upped a bit with the excellent Succubus you really get to hear those subtle blues elements with the vocal delivery on this while that excellent rhytnm section pushes those beautiful lead guitars to the fore making for a truly brilliant track.

 

The absolutely riff fest that is Fungus Emotis hits hard and sounds like a homage to Down, although some of the guitar harmonies sound a bit like Thin Lizzy,yet again those raw vocals really reach soaring heights,this is possibly the most catchiest track on the album and has a really bombastic element to it, the dark atmopshere throughout 10 Minutes From Hell is really errie and that bassline hits like a sledgehammer, this shows another side to the band in that they can switch between upbeat passages and a more dark and foreboding elements, closing track Quiet Rain  is a proper blues tinged rocker full of  fat basslines, rhytnmic drumming, Riffs for days and those trademark soaring vocals, this is the best way to close out this brilliant album and is a huge step up from a superb band.

  This a must listen if you're into groove laden stoner rock tinged with plenty of elements of rock n roll,blues,southern rock and metal,the passion shown on this is through the roof and the musicianship is absolutely stellar, although i previously didn't mention the lyrical content has a really killer storytelling element to it that's full of temptations,realistic scenarios that are both surreal and at times drowned in liquor and alcohol giving off that southern vibe so brilliantly,do not overlook this brilliant album.

RATING: 8/10

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