As someone who goes out of his way to hear something new every night and then proceed to talk about it, I’ve noticed a trend in my travels through the worlds of metal and rock: there’s an absolute fuck ton of stoner bands out there. Not all of them focus on weed and such as we have a seemingly infinite number of those, but those that don’t focus on the grass tend to attract me more because I love seeing where the style can be taken sonically and otherwise. It’s because of bands like Thirst Planet that I have such a desire, and their debut is a perfect example of why I think that way.
The high worship of the art of the riff is something that I’ve noticed is quite common throughout stoner material as most of the stuff that I’ve heard between rock and metal have used profusely, but not everyone can do it well. A good riff is nice, yes, but to create a great riff then proceed to do that multiple times to create an album that’s chock full of them and then allow your material to breathe on its own without feeling too restricted to the core of the style but not AWOL is another great thing to accomplish. It’s with “The Essence” that Thirst Planet has managed to do it on their debut album in a fashion that we don’t get out of some bands that have been going for much longer. While there’s nothing really new at play here when it comes to how Thirst Planet brings us their brand of stoner doom, it’s very easy to revel in the greatness that they’ve conjured with these eight tracks. There are very few moments throughout “The Essence” that aren’t filled with glorious energy as the desert sands are constantly being kicked up in a sandstorm with this record by the infallible riffage, stupendous vocals, quality musicianship, and yet another tasteful approach to stoner doom metal that almost never gets old.
It’s always important to make an impression with your debut, and this Israeli act has done that gloriously with “The Essence”. In no small way, I truly can’t wait to see where Thirst Planet can take their sound and, as with any quality band of the style, I’ve no doubt in my mind whatsoever that these guys will not only get a fitting following but also become much better at their craft in time.
LISTEN to “The Essence” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Thirst Planet on Facebook here.
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