Formed in 2011, Pander are a four piece Dutch group who have mastered the art of delivering gut-busting stoner metal fuelled riffery. “Fierce Self” reflects a band who appear to be on a single-minded mission to rumble mercilessly through your head. Having had to deal with the tragic loss of guitarist and founding member Andre Bouma during the recording process, they sound motivated by his memory on this LP.
With a kick start like Nirvana on steroids, “At The Shore” rolls into life. The vocals are clean and have an almost atonal, accusatory quality. Then the Kyuss influence comes through with a very tight, bottom heavy rhythm section courtesy of Peter de Bruin on drums and Remmie Grijpstra on bass. From here, Pander’s template is firmly set. Propulsive, churning tracks like “Witchcraft” and “Korea” are a heady mix of “Master Of Reality” era Black Sabbath and broody Soundgarden set at a pace that gets the heart rate going.
What becomes apparent early on is that the vocals are a powerful element in the band’s overall sound. Meindert Pander’s delivery is at times very desperate and while he might not have technical brilliance, his vocals have an undeniably honest quality that makes you truly believe in what is being sung. More to the point, the extra weight the vocals provide to the rolling thunder underneath make for some fine moments.
There’s some furious Bonham-esque drumming on “Leave” and a brief, razor sharp guitar break before the track trails off with a venomous “Fuck You…” which is reflective of the attitude that comes across for the remainder of the album. With the primitive fury of “Anxiety” and the galloping “Golden Sun” following, there’s plenty to keep the neck muscles warmed up. The album becomes a little more gritty during the closing tracks but the sense of pace never diminishes.
The path being trodden here by Pander is well worn and that’s fine. “Fierce Self” is a focussed release with nine relatively short, sharp tracks that don’t really take any sudden turns but still manage to pack a hefty punch. Despite the album’s uniformity, there’s no sense of it being one dimensional. For fans of the genre, you’re going to be left satisfied and probably wishing the band was playing your favourite club so you could go and check them out.
(7/10 Johnny Zed)
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