Gypsy Chief Goliath - New Machines Of The Night
Gypsy Chief Goliath - New Machines Of The Night
Gypsy Chief Goliath are a heavy blues/stoner metal band from Canada. The Ontario sextet only just released their debut album 'It's A Walk In The Mist' in 2012. Thankfully, these band of gypsies wasted no time in releasing their second album 'New Machines Of The Night'.
As soon as those steel and fuzzy guitars are heard on the opening track ''Uneasy Kings'' the raw and grizzled tone of the album is unleashed, but it isn't until the presence of the wonderfully coarse vocals of Al 'The Yeti' Bones that the album fully kicks off into a unique and sensational brewing force of stoner metal and good ol' fashioned rock and roll.
The ruggedly crude vocal styling of Al "The Yeti" is terrifically blared out throughout the entirety of the album. However, the most impressive part of AL's vocals, is his ability to alter between singing clean and growling so efficiently. The best example of this is on the track "White Owl", where you can hear his voice waver so effortlessly that you can't help but stop for a second and appreciate such a talent.
Not many bands can pull off the feat of three guitars, but in the same way that other great bands like Iron Maiden and Wishbone Ash pull it off so effortlessly, Gypsy Chief Goliath are no exception. The amicably diversified dual playing of guitarists Dave Ljubanovich, Sean Hamilton and Al Bones are partnered so harmoniously that you can't help but sit back and marvel at the partnership between the guitars. The guitars are of course stabilized by the outstanding growl and swagger of Sean De Faria's bass, the expertly-timed down tuned snarl of the bass also helps bring out just the perfect hint of the bands doom influence.
One of the secret weapons on this album is the accompaniment of Brodie Stevenson's harmonica. The harmonicas presence on the album is quite minimal, but whenever it is audible it masterfully guides the music and helps create a whole new atmosphere to certain songs, whether it be a haunting Gothic tone on "Are You Pulling Through?" or the perfect merging on the track "No Soul" to help create a beautiful southern rock vibe.
The highlight of the album is without a doubt halfway through the album when the intro to "St Covens Tavern" hits your ears. For the first minute of the song, the listener is blessed with a melodic twin-guitar riff that wouldn't sound out of place on a 70s era Thin Lizzy album, before the song delves straight into a full-blown gruff and cheery folk metal song.
Songs such as"Dirt Meets Rust" and especially"Busting The Avenue" are where he bands rock and roll direction is fleshed out, a lot of credit for that has to go to the rhythmic core of stick man Adam Saitti. But it's when the band come together as one that you feel the honest and open aura of the bands muddy and raw rock and roll roots, the best example would have to be on the track "Slow Leak" the musicianship on the last minute of that track is so sincerely impeccable, that I forgot I was listening to a studio track instead of a live jam.
Overall, the varied mixture of different types of rock and metal blend together remarkably well, and clocking in at just under 45 minutes, there really is no excuse not to give this record a spin. And if we're lucky enough, and history decides to repeat itself, it wont be long before we are blessed with album number three.
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