Saturday 8 April 2017

High Brian - Hi Brain (Album Review)


Release date: April 7th 2017. Label: StoneFree Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Hi Brain– Tracklisting

1.Liquid Sweet 05:17
2.All But Certainty 05:00
3.The Sun & I 04:55
4.Surrealistic Pillow 03:50
5.All The Other Faces 05:15
6.Aquanautic Smoke 04:33
7.The Conversion 03:51
8.Blood Money 05:43
9.Time 05:52

Members:

Paul - Drums + Vox,
Pat - Bass,
Nils - Guitar,
Bene - Guitar + Vox

Review

High Brian's debut album feels influenced by Kadavar as their sound contains their familiar style of Retro Stoner Rock. High Brian's sound is perhaps more psychedelic with a cool Blues Rock/Doom based element. Still it's eerily familiar to Kadavar's sound.

Opening track is a sixties/seventies inspired slice of Psych Stoner Rock with moments of Blues Rock/Doom groove that will soon get you in the mood. The vocals are what you expect from a band firmly rooted in classic rock. Not over produced but still showing great focus.

Second track - All But Certainty - carries on the vibe from the opening track but at a slower pace. It takes some time for the song to actually get moving but I did enjoy the laid-back vibe of it all. The band does add moments of heavy doom/blues based rock. The guitars have a nice stop-start rhythm. High Brian has a very loud presence to them which they mix with the quieter parts of their music.

The rest of the album follows the same path as the opening two tracks but the band does inject some acid style spaced out rock to make the whole flow of the album go ultra-trippy and psychedelic. The songwriting is good for the most part though there are a couple of songs that could have done with more work.

Hi Brain did take a few listens for me to fully appreciate and enjoy the wild and trippy ride. There are some standout songs on the album such as: The Sun & I, All The Other Faces, Blood Honey and Time. High Brian are very creative with their music as they experiment and play with a lot of different sounds and genres. This album will perhaps be more appreciated by fans of Classic Rock and Psychedelic Rock in general.

Sure it has moments of Blues, Doom and Stoner Rock but they pale in comparison to the retro rock grooves flowing throughout the album. The production is excellent as the album sounds clear and crisp from the start. If you're in the mood for some Kadavar inspired Retro Rock riffs then High Brian are the band for you.

All in all, this is a fantastic and hugely entertaining album that will no doubt find a loyal audience. Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Timon at Mountain Range PR for the promo. Hi Brain is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via StoneFree Records now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp