Sound of Origin - The All Seeing Eye

 

The north of England is home to some of the world’s best contemporary riff peddlers, and most of them are signed to APF Records. It came as no surprise then, when Huddersfield/Leeds stoner doom dudes Sound of Origin announced they’d joined the roster at the same time as they announced their new album, The All Seeing Eye (release: August 21st, 2020). Way back in 2018, these guys knew that they were aiming for a full rebirth with the addition of Joel H. Bulsara on vocals, and the energy between them was visible to all around them. Now the new album is here, and good lord it’s a rager.


Talking of that rebirth, the album lays it out plainly with opening lumberer Not Dead Yet, an angular stabbing of riffs that never lets you sit comfortably, and leading into title track The All Seeing Eye. Joe Wilczynski’s guitar tone on this record is planet-sized, allowing the stoner riffs dig deep into the earth and tower way into the stratosphere. The groove is strong throughout this tune, and the chorus is catchy as hell. Lockjaw caught me off guard the first time I heard it, being unexpectedly bouncy, and incorporating a decidedly grunge mid section. Dim Carcosa lures you in with a clean, bluesy intro, before catching you off guard with a dark and biting intro, before once again switching up the feel for an uptempo verse. SoO love to play around with rhythms throughout the album with  the adventurous drumming of Foz, using triplets and tempo changes to keep things fresh. 


Morning Bird is a a stoner anthem, fully equipped with throat singing and blues leads. Stoned Messiah Blues begins exactly how you think it would, with a creeping bass blues riff, JHB venomously crooning before full volume kicks in, reaching a full swinging swagger. This one might be my least fave on the album, if only for its slightly predictable repetitiveness, the thorn in the side of many stoner doom track. Voices Left Behind kicks the album back up to speed with a riff perfect for spin kicking whoever has the misfortune to be stood next to you,  


Into the Vile, previously released on the Doomed & Stoned England compilation, is nothing short of jaw dropping. A carefully constructed slab of granite, detailed with a soaring chorus and emotive verse vocals. The antithesis of my issues with Stoned Messiah Blues. Closing track Tempest Dunes sits pretty close to the ten minute mark, at the end of a collection of fairly concise songs. There was nothing predictable about this tune. A titanic riff with enough rhythmic interest to drive the song, bass and guitar unison, a weaving structure. It’s not what you’d expect, but it sure is tasty.


The All Seeing Eye pays it’s dues to the corner stones of genre giants that you’d expect, whilst keeping it’s eyes on the horizon and the band’s heart on it’s sleeve. Great stuff. 


FFO: Down, Alice in Chains, Acid King, Stoned Jesus


JC


bandcamp: https://soundoforigin.bandcamp.com/album/the-all-seeing-eye


facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soundoforigin/

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