YOB - Catharsis

When it came time to pick some new albums to review I did a little research. When YOB came up, I quickly found out that this album was classified under “stoner rock” and it simply had three tracks; one of 18 minutes, followed by one of 7 minutes, and ending with one of 23 minutes. Instantly, I knew I had to hear what this was all about. 48 minutes later, I am still not sure what that was all about. I have to admit that if I were stoned I would imagine this album would mellow me out and have me chillin' in a bean bag chair. Then again, if you are high, is it really that hard to do anyway? All three songs are free form flowing pieces of aural atmosphere. There are no verses, no bridges, no choruses in the universe they seek to create; just a sound. Now, not being stoned the album is rather directionless and dull. Let’s face it, a song over 7 minutes in length is not easy to pull off - and that is the shortest song on the entire album! There is nothing extremely bad on the album, and the playing is done with enough skill as to not warrant thrashing. It is just the length and repetitiveness that grinds away at the ears after a while. The lead singer’s voice provides one shouting point. A weird, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes growling, always unintelligible mix that blends well with the music, but not with the taste buds. YOB, I can’t say I am sorry to have ventured to explore your little planet, and if I were stoned I might be head banging right now, but after ten minutes I wanted to come back to Earth. [www.yobrock.com]