Holy Grove - Holy Grove (2016) (New Full Album)

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• published: 18 Mar 2016
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Portland, Oregonian four-piece Holy Grove have been one of their home city’s most eagerly anticipated bands for the last couple years, managing to stand themselves out from a crowded scene even before they really got around to putting out music. Their self-titled debut arrives with stunning cover artwork by Adam Burke through Heavy Psych Sounds. the seven tracks/43 minutes of Holy Grove‘s Holy Grove establish a veteran-style presence throughout their run, thanks in no small part to patient tempos, a general awareness of where they want to be sonically, graceful, thick tones, and the masterful vocals of Andrea Vidal, who is an oft-layered force atop the familiar “Nix” and preceding opener “Death of Magic,” furthering a classic heavy rock vibe even as the band takes a modern-sounding approach. Guitarist Trent Jacobs, bassist Gregg Emley and drummer Craig Bradford craft a flow within and between the songs, which either stop for effect or bleed one into the next across a vinyl-minded construction that ultimately asks little more of the listener than a nod along. They are not yet 10 seconds into “Death of Magic” before they’ve dug into the first of many oh-hell-yes riffs to come, and the efficiency suits them well as they continue to progress through the album. Structures are straightforward on “Death of Magic” and what follows, but the grooves Holy Grove lock in are fully-toned enough and Vidal‘s vocal arrangements are complex enough that while the band avoid pretense, they prove immersive all the same. An eponymous track on a self-titled LP — especially a self-titled debut — is and should rightly be a focal point, the band are essentially saying, “This is who we are and what we’re about,” and Holy Grove meet that task ably, unfolding from that initial quiet guitar and bass interplay a larger, rolling wash of vibe that continues to hold sway through its verses and the shuffle that emerges under Jacobs‘ solo later on, a smooth transition that leads the way out and fades as Bradford‘s drums begin “Huntress,” touches of Electric Wizard showing up in the interweaving lead and rhythm lines, which drop out to make room for Vidal in the verse but don’t seem to be completely gone as they chug forward. Wisely placed, “Huntress” bursts into faster swinging to close out side A on a more raucous note than some of the relatively laid back fare before it, but that’s just as much preface for what’s to come on “Caravan”. Kicking full force into the second half of the album, “Caravan” offers a genuine boogie from Holy Grove, which is territory they’ve come close to but never quite danced all over like they do within, and it works both in the context of mirroring the catchy open they gave Holy Grove. the last two tracks, the arrival of which is announced by far back and fading in vocals on “Hanged Man,” the longest cut on the record at 8:49 and arguably the most ambitious as well. It finds its crux somewhere between the unfurling Candlemassian doom of its opening movements and the NWOBHM-meets-Kyuss (think meaner-toned “Green Machine”) gallop that arises past the midpoint, but the really telling factor in all of it is how well Holy Grove command the proceedings throughout, marrying varied styles and ultimately coming out of it with something all the more their own. It is a debut, so I won’t say Holy Grove feels like the sum total of what Holy Grove have to offer, either in songwriting or execution, but the band does affirm and restate their potential throughout while providing a foundation from which to continue to build, and for the quality they bring and the sense of work done on these tracks, their self-titled will no doubt earn a place among 2016’s more resonant debuts. 1. Death of Magic - 0:00 2. Nix - 4:24 3. Holy Grove - 11:33 4. Huntress - 17:55 5. Caravan - 22:44 6. Hanged Man - 27:25 7. Safe Return - 36:13 Hey everybody! Just want to inform you that I will now be posting full albums on both this channel and my backup channel! So if you're not subscribed to the backup channel go subscribe now! That way you don't miss anything. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkqjcQwTNvsxQWT44N6ESrA Support Holy Grove by purchasing the album here ~ http://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandca... Holy Grove Facebook Page ~ https://www.facebook.com/holygroveban... www.heavypsychsounds.com