Brisbane 4 piece psychedelic doom. “The Greatest Gift to Give” is their second release with four monster tracks.
It pays to get out and see some shows.
I saw these guys support Sleep, so seeing both of these guys on the same night made it an epic night. Unfortunately, Frown was only selling vinyl at the show (and I am not going to lug a record around all night hoping I don’t break or scratch it and the car was too far), so I wound up downloading them from Bandcamp for the sinister price of $6.66. Money well spent, and even though there are only 4 tracks, this clocks in at over 34 minutes of intoxicating riffs.
1. Trial by Ordeal (06:25) was the song that hooked me. The psychedelic influences become apparent from the echoed vocals which match the at times disturbing guitar leads, and they have chosen a more natural, organic feel for this recording. The trial is the sort of track that creeps up on you and will induce head nodding. An easy favourite with many memorable parts and demands a second listen. The guitar sounds are all clear too without losing their essential growl, and the vocals come through with a lot of intensity.
2. Harpocrates Unborn (09:34) Beginning with a tasty wah intro that chugs away quietly and sets the tempo, and builds until the moment is right to break away into a mountain of doom. Vocals are often yelled at, but there are some more melodic parts as well which provides the dynamics that make this genre so interesting. I think this sort of music is often misunderstood, as it takes a lot of jamming and maturity to pull this off. You can very easily overplay this sort of thing, but Frown is able to maintain the balance required.
3. Cold Gail That Blows My Lonely Grave (09:10) – The perfect hypnotic rhythm begins this song, as it develops into a huge, fuzzed-out leviathan epic. As the structure builds, you find yourself deep in the land of the dark and oppressive. I am loving how the drummer is keeping on the toms and continually keeping the tense feel going.
4. Offering (09:06) – The final track is a more brooding piece. The singer’s voice does not work quite as well on this song as the others in my opinion, but the leads make it worth persisting as it grinds into its next gigantic change.
This album is pretty great, and I hope to hear much more from these guys. Frown is going to develop into a very interesting force in the next year or two from what I am hearing. While it’s not a perfect album, it is pretty addictive listening. Frown shows they are definitely one of the leading contenders in the doom genre in Australia.
Frown: Facebook N/A
Release Year: 2014
Label: self-released
Category: Vinyl
Country: Australia
Reviewed by Matt
