Album Reviews

The Great Northern Whalekill
Minus – The Great Northern Whalekill
8.0
 on
Monday, May 12, 2008 - 00:00
submitted by
Thomas

Iceland’s noisemongers are back to write another chapter in their own history and right off the bat, they’ve got my sympathy even more than before. It shows a sick sense of humor to call your album “The Great Northern Whalekill” (remember Pantera’s “The Great Southern Trendkill”? wink wink nudge nudge) and then plaster artsy pictures of incredibly fat people throughout the booklet.

But the main thing here is the music. And that is far from a joke! Oldtime fans might need some adjusting because there is less metal this time around. But man, do these guys rock! It made me think of a more urgent version of Queens Of The Stone Age. And as it happens the album was produced by Joe Barresi who in the past has worked with… indeed, Queens Of The Stone Age. The songs are melodic yet never lose their sharp edge and have so much groove that by the time the second and best song - “Black And Bruised” - kicks in you’ve already been nodding along a couple of minutes.

Towards the end of the album things kinda start to sound alike but it doesn’t matter. That only means that if it rocked at the beginning, it keeps on rocking until the very end.

Tom Dumarey
Tom Dumarey

Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.