Referring to Swedish power-trio Domkraft as “psychedelic Warlords” is not too wide of the mark. Indeed, on their fourth “Sonic Attack,” it’s evident that this is no gentle trip for aging old hippies to comfortably smoke a blunt to and gently dream away as it blankets them in nice and comforting, chilled out tones. Domkraft like things loud, all the levels pushed up to the limits and the reverberating wall of fuzz billowing with such an abrasive impact it will blow you through a wall.
It’s not just the music either as we embrace first 9-minute epic ‘Whispers.’ The track title is a definite misnomer as vocalist / bassist Martin Wegeland hollers out his parts as the myriad of fluttering shapes of the juggernauting attack expand around him. The smothering wall of ballast shakes and quakes from the speakers with the force of an armour plated rhinoceros. That said, boy its energising stuff, full of hooks and propulsion designed to make each and every one of these seven supercharged tracks fling you to the outer realms of the cosmos. Drums hammer, bass churns and guitars distort as the players jam away over the instrumental sections. There is a bluesy voice hiding away in the relative calmer moments but these are few and far between as things furrow into an explosive mass, vocals yelling on their tail like an outta control comet. That’s just the first number.
Shaking, rattling and rolling onwards with caustic sludge laden grooves on songs such as ‘Stellar Winds’ the band refuse to lay back and approach everything like a wild rocket ship ride through a hazardous meteor storm. It might not be anything new to hardened interplanetary explorers but the band pull things off with unshaken determination and conviction and you sure can head-bang along till your hearts content. Despite repetition on the longer songs it never gets stale due to the ever volatile thrust of the afterburners and the devastating volume that would challenge fans of the noisier end of the rock spectrum such as Spacemen 3, Loop and My Bloody Valentine, along with the head-twisting deep-stoned melodies of Monster Magnet and High On Fire. Peddles and pumped and ‘Magnetism’ draws you into its black hole without any chance of escape. Caught in its beam you can only feel sorry for the crew and for some reason the words “I’ve giv’n her all she’s got captain, an’ I canna give her no more” are quick to spring to mind here.
It’s not all lengthy mind-expanding assaults there are a few numbers with a more accessible running time the likes of ‘Downpour,’ nothing short of stormy exercises in blunt-force trauma. Whilst closing number ‘The Big Chill’ might anticipate you for a bit of armchair ambience there is about as much of that present as there are ballads on this album. Containing just a splash of doom at the midway point, this is full of spiralling guitars and vocals that warble and harangue right up to the finish line and leave you feeling all shook up as silence finally descends once more.
This is Domkraft, you might well be advised to at least mildly panic!
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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