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Non-Prog CD Reviews

The Warlocks

Vevey

Review by Gary Hill

I really went back and forth on where to put this. There was a time when I thought I'd land it under prog rock. There are things here that make me think of early Pink Floyd. Other parts have a lot of space rock in the mix. There is definitely a prevalent element that reminds me of Chrome, and I consider them prog. Then there is the shoegaze element. Still, I think this lands more on the side of straightforward punky hard rock than it does prog. It's a pretty close call, though. Either way, this is fuzz covered and powerful. It's a live album that really rocks.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017  Volume 6 at  garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2017.

Track by Track Review
Red Camera
This comes in gradually, feeling a bit like The Velvet Underground to me. I love the fuzz-driven trippy textures on this. The vocals bring a dreamy kind of atmosphere to it. Noisy and freaky, this works into something a bit like a cross between Pink Floyd's "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and shoegaze. It's a killer tune.
Isolation
The combination of that early Pink Floyd vibe with shoegaze is again the dominant factor here. This is tastefully noisy in a very droning kind of way. It's very much art rock. Perhaps a comparison to Floyd's "One of These Days..." wouldn't be out of the question on this cut.
The Midnight Sun
While the shoegaze elements are still here, this is noisier and punkier than the first two cuts. It's intriguing stuff, but definitely less proggy than those two openers were.
Dead Generation
A faster paced jam, this has a lot of hard rocking energy built into it. It's a bit proggy and quite psychedelic. There are some killer guitar fills.
Chameleon
This brings us more into space rock type territory. Further down the road we're taken into some cool psychedelic stuff before they end the track.
Come Save Us
While this isn't a big change, this shoegaze styled number works really well.
Only You
Pounding in hard rocking and classy, this has a bit more of a punky goth kind of edge. There is a metal side to this cut.
Shake the Dope Out
More of a psychedelic rocker, this is perhaps closer to glam rock than it is to prog. It's a cool cut and a nice change, though.
The Dope Feels Good
More of an extension of the previous cut, this is solid.
It's Just Like Surgery
Now this gets more into the trippy shoegaze meets space rock kind of area. It's strong stuff
Baby Blue
Pop music, alternative rock and more merge with psychedelia and neo-prog here. There is a trippy, dreamy kind of quality to this soaring piece.
Lonesome Bulldog
Take folk rock and add a lot of distortion to it. Then place some dream pop meets alternative rock vocals over the top of that. You'll be in the vicinity of this cut.
Hurricane Heart Attack
Punk rock meets space rock and shoegaze on this killer number. It's a real powerhouse with some great sounds and vibes.
Caveman Rocks
Punky and pounding, this grind really drives. It's one of the most instantly fun pieces here.
Angry Demons
This is the closer for the main part of the show. It's another that has elements of that modern prog/shoegaze side along with a driving powerhouse punk ethos. The noise driven stuff on this is particularly tasty. They fade it down to feedback late in the track. That gives way to some seriously spacey stuff. I'm guessing that much of that was produced by instruments on their own as the band were off-stage.
Zombie Like Lovers
This (their encore, I think) comes out of the previous number and rises up with more of the same kind of driving, pounding fuzz-laden stuff we've grown to expect here. This gets particularly hard rocking as it makes its way forward. It's a real screamer.
 
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