Something Wicked

Album Review

Maryland's Earthride released their third full-length album, Something Wicked, in 2010, putting an end to a five-year hiatus along with widespread misconceptions about their demise, while proving that their peculiar brand of stoner doom remained as selectively appealing as ever. Bottom line: Earthride simply don't make things easy for themselves, but it's obvious they wouldn't want it any other way. Dave Sherman's wintry croak absolutely refuses to flirt with melody (next to him it's easy to appreciate how tunefully Lemmy sings), Kyle Van Steinburg's gargling guitar tone and circular riffs trudge around with Spartan, flash-free perseverance, and the Josh Hart/Eric Little rhythm section simply holds down the bottom end, efficiently and unobtrusively. Sound boring? Well, it undoubtedly is to a large contingent of thrill-and-bombast-seeking heavy metal fans, but true connoisseurs of these dark musical arts conversely swear by the tactful nuances, circumspect craftsmanship, and seductive atmosphere pervading the likes of "Hacksaw Eyeball," "Make Up Your Mind," "Destruction Song," and the lengthy "Force Fed Fear." Far from a uniform grind from start to finish, however, biker anthem "Grip the Wheel" and portions of the title track and "Supernatural Illusion" see Earthride revving up the engines into higher gears, while on "Zodiac" and the striking "Watch the Children Play," Sherman guides his bandmates into the dreamlike psychedelics of his former band, Spirit Caravan, with exceptional results. In short: Something Wicked will likely befuddle most and cause as few epiphanies as its predecessors, but it won't disappoint the few, the proud, and the severely stoned, who happen to possess sensibilities attuned to Earthride's rare but intriguing vintage of doom.