DATE: 05/24/2009
RATING: NA
URL: http://www.stonerrock.com/forums2/allposts.asp?Forum=ap809241559&ID=45948&StartAt=0

If Sole Lord, the new album from Brooklyn-based quintet Hull, is any indication, these gents are not to be lumped in with the growing number of bands getting tagged as Neurosis and Mastodon coattail grabbers. To the contrary, Sole Lord showcases Hull's talent for crafting atmospheric yet heavy, guitar-driven music without sounding derivative or formulaic, and that is due, in large part, to the chemistry between the band's three guitarists. And although fans of Hull's preceding EP Viking Funeral may initially find Sole Lord difficult to digest due to some obvious changes in sonic direction (i.e. more doom, less thrash), it's a 'grower' in the truest sense of the term.

At the outset of Sole Lord, Hull lays down the law - the law of doom - while applying its triple guitar approach within the context of the first three slow burners ('Innocence,' 'Transition,' and 'Immortal'). All three songs, which have economic running times of four minutes or less, are rooted in dynamic yet down-tempo buildups that culminate in rousing triple-guitar passages that alternate between bluesy interplay and sludgy, monolithic riffing. While Hull's gang vocals and solid in-the-pocket bass and drum work merit note, these gents know their bread and butter lies in their triple guitar chemistry as evidenced by these lead off songs.

'Immortal,' the standout of the trifecta, features a proggy section early in the song that is accentuated by noodling guitar work in one speaker and bluesy soloing in the other. After thirty seconds, the proggy section is drowned out by a pummeling rhythm guitar and guttural gang vocals, however, the bluesy soloing returns seconds later to compliment the vocals and carry the song to its completion. This type of interplay peppers Sole Lord, and it almost goes without saying that such speaker-to-speaker interplay and the general dynamics of the album are best enjoyed via quality headphones.

Following the doom-rooted trifecta, 'Deliverance' finds the band picking up the pace early with forty seconds of guitar and bass swashbuckling that segues into a downright catchy chorus and concludes with an all too brief thirty-second dual guitar showdown that not only demands you bang your head but further illustrates the chemistry between the guitarists.

The second half of Sole Lord includes three distinct and predominantly mellow instrumentals ('Wanderer,' 'Aesthetic,' and 'Vessel') that feature intricate and, at times, acoustic and psych-tinged guitar interplay best appreciated via the aforementioned headphones. Heck, I've even played them alongside some Mogwai and 5ive tunes to get my newborn daughter to nod off. The instrumentals serve as bridges to and from another doom-tinged song 'Healer,' which offers a shout-a-long chorus buttressed by a distinctive wall of guitar interplay, and album standout 'Architect. At nearly seven minutes in length, 'Architect' is arguably the heaviest song on the album, and it channels all that is great about Sole Lord while teasing Viking Funeral lovers with some thrash, albeit thrash by way of High on Fire. Tasty thrash tidbits aside, the forty-five second guitar workout that commences at the five-minute mark is worth the price of admission