Saturday 6 May 2017

GEEZER - Psychoriffadelia (Album Review)


Release date: May 19th 2017 (Digital). June 9th 2017 (CD/Vinyl). Label: STB Records/Kozmik Artifactz Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Psychoriffadelia – Tracklisting

1.Hair Of The Dog
2.Stressknots
3.Psychoriffadelia
4.Red Hook
5.Dirty Penny

Members:

Pat Harrington: guitar/vocals
Richie Touseull: bass
Charles Ruggiero: drums

Review

Didn't we just have a new album from Geezer last year. I know we did as I made their self-titled album my favourite album of 2016. Now the guys are back with Psychoriffadelia. What can we expect from Geezer this time round. More of the same glorious spaced out/cosmic stoner sounds from the last album or something else altogether. Well I have good news and bad news in regards to the album. Bad news first, there are no traces of any cosmic/spaced out riffs from the last album. None at all. Don't let that put you off. The good news is that Psychoriffadelia is still another excellent album from Geezer where the riffs are king!!! –

Psychoriffadelia sees Geezer opt for a more stripped back psychedelic blues/stoner rock sound. This album sees Geezer going back to basics with a more vintage blues rock sound. It's still gloriously heavy and the opening track - Hair Of The Dog - shows that Geezer haven't lost their drive in creating highly energetic and infectious riffs. The mood and lyrics of the album are ever so playful like they were on the last album. It's quite a groove laiden sound and one we haven't heard from Geezer before.

Maybe Geezer will be one of those bands who try a different sound with each album that they release. The song has an excellent sing-along cheeky chorus that you will be singing along to in no time at all. The music drifts from classic stoner rock sounds to the more heavy pounding blues rock/metal kind of sound. Geezer are in boisterous form and the album is packed full of this angry and playful attitude.

Second track - Stressknots - is another blues rock driven sound with Pat's vocals having a slight Brant Bjork influence. It's good to see Geezer incorporating elements of Desert Rock at times though the focus is primarily on their favoured Blues/Stoner Rock hybrid sound.

The third track - Psychoriffadelia - offers a brief hope to the previous albums spaced out sound with a glitchy sounding radio transmission, but nope. Geezer still opt for this albums blues rock driven score. This song is one of two epic tracks that Geezer have provided here. This is my favourite song off the album as it sees Geezer in more of a laid back mood. The blues rock vibes create an early soothing atmosphere with moments of heavy stoner rock slowly creeping in. The mood becomes heavier and way more psychedelic as time passes by. This is the type of song is where Geezer always excel at as they love to jam with their musical instruments. It's purely an instrumental affair.

The final two tracks - Red Hook and Dirty Penny - are a mixture of laid back Blues Rock and Americana especially with Red Hook. As that song has a slight folk based feel. A cool slide guitar offers Geezer in more reflective mood. The final song - Dirty Penny - is an almost fourteen minute track where the band throw everything at you. Heavy psychedelic blues/stoner riffs played with aplomb and excellent lyrics that has a distinctive hard rock feel.

I can see why Geezer have released Psychoriffadelia instead of a more natural based follow-up to their last album. Sure I would have loved something similar to their last album though you have to give Geezer credit for releasing something different. It has a lot of things in common with their last album.

Both albums are particularly heavy and both show Geezer are masters in creating their own special kind of Blues/Stoner Rock sound. I still prefer their last album to Psychoriffadelia. Though this is still an exciting and fantastic sounding album to lose yourself in. Long-time fans will no doubt go crazy over this album and newer fans will enjoy the different variety of riffs on show. Psychoriffadelia is another outstanding album from Geezer

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Pat from Geezer and Kozmik Artifactz for the promo. Psychoriffadelia is available to buy on DD from May 19th 2017. CD/Vinyl will be released via STB Records and Kozmik Artifactz from June 9th 2017.

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