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GENEROUS MARIA & Skua - Split CD Hereīs a nice little split CD from the folks at Alone Records in Spain. Theyīve paired up two swedish bands, Generous Maria from Gothenburg and Skua from Stockholm... These songs are from Generous Mariaīs "Strict Nurse" demo which I have had for quite a while now, itīs been one of those demos that actually have gotten a lot of spin-time in my CD-player even after I reviewed it (that old review can be found on the Roadburn site)... Iīve compared the sound between this new split and that demo... I thought the sound was good to start with, but with this 'official' release itīs even better... "Strict Nurse" are a kickass rock song with a really catchy melody, itīll be hard to get this tune outta your head... great way to start off the onslaught of great tunes from the Generous Maria dudes. "Like A Dog With Frisbee" also have that same catchy quality thatīll make it stay in your head long after the last chord has rung out. Itīs actually a pretty simple rock song, but in addition to the catchy melody it has a groove thatīll make it hard to sit still while listening to it... and letīs not forget Goranīs vocals, thatīs a rock `nī roll voice for ya... "Lack Of Faith" reminds me a little of Corrosion of Conformity, but thatīs just in the slightest sense... "Brother Pain" are a little more laidback in itīs delivery, but mainly it has plenty more psychedelic vibes that the 3 other songs, which sits kinda nice with this reviewer... Generous Maria have something that sets `em apart from most genre bands, shure itīs only heavy rock served up with a stoner twist. And all of the songs are pretty basic rock tunes, but the delivery have everything you could wish for... lotsa energy, I guess you could say itīs Stoner Rock with soul... Now on to Skua, when I got this disc I thought I hadnīt heard any of their songs... but I recognized the first song, "Swirl", so I have must have downloaded one or two MP3īs with `em a long time ago... My first impression when "Swirl" starts playing is Kyuss meets Korn, itīs plenty downtuned with a nu-metal vibe... shure itīs Stoner rock, but thereīs something about it that make me think of nu-metal... The production for "Swirl" are very high class... great drumplaying, a heavy bass and some kickass downtuned guitar riffs... "Swirl" was taken from the "Barracuda" demo (recorded February, `99) and the other three tunes were taken from a demo recorded at the summer of `99... They have used the same equipment, but thereīs a notable difference in the sound between the tracks... I actually like the sound on "Swirl" a little better, it has more bite... "Spittin" sounded like Fu Manchu on acid... maybe like Fu Manchu with a slight Kyuss vibe... pretty basic Stoner Rock, nothing about it that really grabs my attention... "Blue Temple" takes the slight Kyuss vibe from "Spittin" to an all out Kyuss vibe, borders on plagiarism... but then again thereīs plenty of bands that are far worse copycats... Thereīs actually a lot of cool guitar stuff towards the end of the song that sets the tune a little apart from other Kyuss wannabes... "Nitroīs Low" also have that Kyuss vibe, but this time theyīve actually made something of their own outta the influences... again thereīs a slight nu-metal touch that make it stand it out a little... Come to think of it, this song sounds like a mix between Kyuss and Deftones... and yes itīs pretty darn good... I know that a lot of the "true" stoners donīt dig anything with the slightest hint of a nu-metal vibe, I think most nu-metal stuff sucks... but far from all... Generous Maria vs. Skua... and the winner is... Generous Maria... but, Skua might evolve into a really great band down the line, just give `em a little time... Tracklist: Generous Maria: Skua:
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