EPHEDRA - CAN-DO KAN REY

So you guys thought, that this band couldn´t skip their high technical and musical level after their debut? And you thought that Stonerrock is just a collection of huge pedalboard sounds, created by some mushroom-eating, beard-wearing longhaired vinyl-nerds? No. This record combines the best of all kinds of heavy music. Southern Rock Groove, Glenn Tipton´s guitar, the directness of metal drumming, a tight rhythm section including a sharp Flying V sound and the vibe of Postrock.

The opener „Vicious Circle“ starts like an intro, lingers on like a song and the same sequence of chords at the end is the outro, including Charlie Chaplins´s speech of the great dictator.

Bad Hair Day“ – nice title, has its focus on stumping mid-tempi rhythms and Roman´s singing guitar, based on a bass-riff.

My personal favourite is „Mother Stone,“ a grooving riffmonster until the last minute. This last minute consists of a Greek inspired clean twin guitar harmony vanishing in heaviness.

Cornfield Disaster“ based on Karma to Burn-like riff coloured by harmonic guitar licks until this incredible singing guitar closes the song.

A Southern Rock – riff leads you through „Monday Morning“ while this singing guitar gently weeps.

Metamorphosis Calypso“ is clearly inspired by the mantras of My Sleeping Karma, but Ephedra turned it into a more metallic version with a finishing double-bass drum at the end.

Coco Mango Soup“ starts with clear guitars and a bass riff. A calm song, a ballad, but you will never know what happens next in this song until this singing guitar takes hold of this song and the band delivers a broad basis of riffs and drive.

Happy Threesome“ is the most direct song, more metal than stoner.

Metal meets blues in „Road Trip“. Especially Tommy´s drumming is definitely Metal but the song grooves anyway.

„Barstool Philosophy“ is the heavier issue of another Karma to Burn song. Shorter and straighter, same as „Moonshiner“. Moonshiner seems to be the best last song for a concert. I would have placed him as last song on this record.

„Southern Love“ is the happy coda on this incredible record, which opens quite melancholic and ends as a silver shine on a mighty horizon.

A fat Overkill for this diversified, well produced and unpredictable record.