I am very proud to say this one I found on my own. I have been reading up on this genre and found 1000mods to be something I felt I might be able to get into. I said “might”, don’t go overboard. And Road to Burn seemed to get some notice. So I sent it to my Clean and Sober Stoner boyfriend to see where on the Richter Scale this one may hit. The text I got back was “Respect!” I guess that means it’s a winner. Then he proceeds to tell me he is listening to the album on the way home. And that I have “nailed the song” and the whole album is a gargantuan monster. (I had to spell check gargantuan by the way)
No stealing my song man! Get your own inspiration!
Okay Doomer! To the music! It starts with a simple beat and guitar groove that makes the head start to nod slightly. But the best is when the velvety smoothness of the lead guitar comes in. It’s a very fuzzy riff which gives me Jimmy Hendrix type vibes. And before you know it, its been 2 minutes of grooving guitar.
I can say with this song I don’t have as much of the more traditional story track that you get with Black Sabbath. And one has to wonder if Doom bands rely more on the music and disregard the lyrics? Although I have seen it both ways in my Doom research. It seems there is an eclectic mix of bands that are more into the storytelling and give you more with the lyrics and others that seem to rely on the music to take you into the right headspace.
However, I would argue that if they are disregarding the lyrics then that is going to impact how the audience experiences you and your music. One hypothesis I have is that more people aren’t into doom because there isn’t a catchy story lyric that gets stuck in their heads. And the Stoner guitar riffs aren’t enough to tempt new listeners to tune in which forces Doom into the niche it has today. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves or send me an email and tell me what you think. I personally have liked more mainstream music because I like the beat and the story. If Doom only has one or the other are they missing out? Maybe, maybe not. I know I’m waffling like a politician but it could be a matter of taste. We should explore further in later posts.
I need to finish my feelings about this song. Again the lyrics to me are almost like a poem. Parts of it I liked but others I didn’t quite get. I am sure the Clean and Sober Stoner will attempt to explain it to me in long detail. But look at these, “You gave me more than I ever expected, I can’t follow you because I feel so lone. Your fire burns but I am full of water. I can’t realize why you’re feeling so lone.” This lyric I can relate to. I mean who of us has given our all to a relationship only to have the other person not be able to fulfill our emotional needs. And uh hello! You are being a giant wet blanket on my fire. Don’t wash out my flame. I am a phoenix and I am meant to live and burn bright! I know your probably thinking about the Harry Potter phoenix, yeah, me too.
But then we move to “Cigarette, back of my hand? There are 2 suns in the sky today, The one is shining all over your head, But my eyes are blind to show you some understanding, Can’t realize you’re all by yourself.” I don’t like the chorus of Cigarette, back on my hand. The vocals of the chorus really don’t fit in my opinion with the rest of the music. I would have preferred lyrics that deliver something more in depth to match the story coming from the other verses. Obviously this person is so lost. I go back and forth on if they really understand what they are doing to their partner or not. Are they clueless or do they know but feel powerless to change or stop? I am finding some of these really deep. And maybe that is the attraction to Doom that so many have. They can see themselves and their pain in Doom so they feel heard and understood. “Cigarette, and your already dead.”
At the end of lyrics, it moves into an epic guitar solo that showcases the band’s unending talent. And we eventually transition back to the velvety riff that you love so much in the beginning to finish out the song. The drums are a bit heavy on the cymbals here and I think could back off to help you wind back down from the epic apex of the song and to showcase the base and guitar more.
Then in typical Doom fashion the last 2 minutes of the song are a different experience. This seems like a pattern I am starting to see emerge. The Clean and Sober Stoner insists that they are trying to take you on a journey. To me at times it seems like additional noise that drowns out the genius of the original song. But here there is some “Monster” (per Clean and Sober Stoner) riffs that do make you feel good. But again, this music piece is good enough that it could have been developed into another song. I find this curious as I am going through more Doom music.
Overall I felt this was very Kyuss like and had a great velvety guitar that would make this song stay on the Okay Doomer playlist. I am feeling like I may be developing a style of music within Doom that I like. I am excited to keep experiencing this genre and sharing my observations with you. That’s all for this one. Catch you next time. ❤ Your favorite Newbie Doomer
