Jun 29 2009
Nebula – Heavy Psych
Nebula
Heavy Psych
Tee Pee; 2009
What I like most about Heavy Psych is that it’s bereft of any grand, quasi-epic artistic statement. Nebula instead concerns itself with bringing the rock early, often, and filled with as much ‘70s psychedelia as possible. This record serves as a consummate example of the Deep Purple school of rock, complete with immense waves of phaser-drenched, fuzzed-out goodness. The riffs are heavy, yet loose, in that they don’t attempt to be paragons of technical virtue – they aim to be accessible and maximize the opportunities to bang one’s head.
“The Dagger” and “The Other Side” presents a band that is both very faithful to its influences and enjoys making good hard rock. It’s as if the ostentatious hair metal of ‘80s never happened. Moreover, every time the tendency for over-indulgent lead guitar work rears its ugly head, the song manages to come to a succinct end. Bluesy patterns emerge in both the music and lyrics, complete with come-on lines to various women (as found in “Aphrodite”) and lyrics about the rock-n-roll lifestyle (“Crown Of Thorns”). In lesser hands, this record might be considered highly derivative, yet the gentlemen of Nebula know when to step up the pastiche for dramatic effect and when to focus on making a straight-up hard rock cut. When I say that Heavy Psych is ready-made for inclusion on classic rock radio, it is meant as the sincerest of compliments.