Release
date: March 26 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD/Vinyl
Mountains
Of Gaia – Tracklisting
1.Circus 05:50
2.Backstabber 03:48
3.Damage Control
03:33
4.Challenger 08:14
5.Spin off 03:57
6.White Parade 03:08
7.Milestone 05:12
8.Mountains of Gaia
08:37
Band
Members:
Daan - Vocals,
Boudewijn – Bass
Rutger – Guitar
Hayo – Guitar
Erwin - Drums
Review
Container are a 5 piece
Garage/Stoner Rock band from The Netherlands. The band have just
released their debut album – Mountains of Gaia. I'm gonna be
honest, it took me a long time to warm up to this album. The album
didn't speak to me until about the 3rd or 4th
listen. I don't know what it was. Maybe I was having a rough day or I
needed more time to become accustomed with their Stoner/Garage Rock
sound.
Now I think that
Mountains Of Gaia is a hugely entertaining album that oozes style and
confidence.
Opening track –
Circus – opens the album with a glorious blend of Stoner and Garage
Rock with a theatrical outlook on things. Sounding like the bastard
offspring of The Stooges, MC5 and the familiar classic Stoner Rock
bands, Container are at least trying to do something different with
their music. This is Stoner Rock that pays homage to the legendary
60s/70s Garage Rock scene but one that does it with style and hint of
originality at times.
Second track –
Backstabber – sees Container go into Alice Cooper territory with
the song focusing more on legendary garage shock rock tactics. It's a
cool way to deliver a Stoner Rock song especially with the
not-so-subtle lyrics. The band will make you feel right at home in
their demented musical madhouse.
Third track – Damage
Control – has more of a garage punk feel with socially aware
sounding lyrics. Container venture into more psychedelic territory
with the riffs exploding into sonic waves of garage rock style
madness. The heavy bass lines instantly draw you in with lead
vocalist – Daan – relishing his psychotic and demented showman
role with devilish confidence.
Fourth track –
Challenger – was an unexpected surprise as Container open the song
with chilled out Desert/Stoner Rock grooves that are played at a slow
pace. It's a different mood compared to the manic riffs they created
on the earlier tracks. Though you can feel a storm is brewing with
subtle soundclips creating an unsettling atmosphere. Kyuss-style
heavy guitars appear and Container become a modern sounding Stoner
Metal band. It's a stark contrast to the albums earlier tracks and I
applaud Container for trying something different.
Other songs that
Container impress with are: Spin Off, White Parade and the excellent
title track – Mountains Of Gaia. Container impress the most on
their two epic tracks – Cliffhanger and Mountains Of Gaia. Both of
these songs last around 8 mins each. This allows the band to create
and fully explore their Psychedelic, Garage and Stoner Rock sounds.
The band even find time to dabble in the world of Post-Rock at times.
Mountains Of Gaia
doesn't have the most exciting album cover but appearances can be
deceiving as this album is packed full of surprises. The only complaint I have is the production is rather flat at times. Sometimes the album can lose focus because of this. It only happens a few times on the album. Don't let that put you off as this is an exciting album to immerse yourself with.
Excellent and Highly
Recommended.
Words
by Steve Howe
