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 Post subject: House Of Broken Promises - Using The Useless
PostPosted: Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:24 pm 
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Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:42 pm
Posts: 566
Location: Motor Shitty
Record Of The Month

Oh, man this is one stone cold, bad-ass, hard rock record. Resurrected from the remnants of Unida (the John Garcia-fronted stoner band post Kyuss and Slo Burn) HOBP erupts in a cataclysmic blast of molten granite that easily stands up to its illustrious pedigree. The Indio, California-based power trio are heavy on riffs and down right mean on rhythms – and they look the part too with guitarist Arthur Seay boasting the most righteous lamb-chop beard we’ve ever seen. Echoes of COC, Sabbath and Down fill the record’s eleven tracks with Eddie Plascencia straddling his bass and bellowing into the mic while drummer Miguel Cancino kicks the shit out of his kit. “Blister” is a wake up call as it gets the whole disc boiling. A sidewinding lick akin to Pepper Keenan’s thick squeal feeds into a pummeling backbeat and chugs it’s way through four and a half minutes of thundering bliss. The deeper meaning of the song’s lyrics “I’m about to drop this heavy load / I can’t keep this stench off of me / so obnoxious I can’t breath” are left to open interpretation.

Second track, and in our opinion a beaming beckon, “Obey The Snake” capitalizes on a sinister wicked groove. Just enough southern soul with a funky riff and foot-stomping beat ensures the track will weld itself to your brain. The searing solo, ghosted piano and screaming female orgasm work magnificently. Biker anthem “Highway Grit” and biographical “Broken Life” dig deeper into the band’s twisted psyche. Gnarled and scarred by life’s arduous path leaves the band plenty of fabric to sew in their lyrical metaphors. “Torn” comes off as their soundtrack with a chorus so damn big one can only hope it find it’s way to satellite radio. Hot on it’s heels is the countering “Buried Away” with a huge open chord and some of Seay’s best playing. The drums retain their intensity with the bass clamoring behind Plascencia howling vocals. The Spanish version of “Ladron” puts authentic muscle behind the Southern Cal rocker while “The Hurt (Paid My Dues)” is the record’s first video up on YouTube - and the song that will sell this mother through the roof. Couple trax to pay particular attention to are Machine Head-like “Physco Plex” and fuzzed out “Walk On By.” Both bare repeated listening for complete conversion. The awesome album art was done by Alexander von Wieding, whose other clients include Monster Magnet and Three Chord Society.

- Todd K Smith

January 5th, 2010
www.cuttingedgerocks.com/


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