Mothertrucker
The Last Ride Of Dr Sanchez (CD-R) 2004 None
From the United Kingdom comes an instrumental band that follows in the footsteps of Pelican's more relaxed stuff. This is mixed with stoner and a small portion of progressive like that of Gordian Knot. Mothertrucker's bandname sound a lot rougher than they really are. However I can fully understand if people find this to be excellent driving music. Long hours behind the wheel will seem much shorter with this on the stereo as well as making the ride a bit more laid-back. This CD is actually a self pressed, really professional CDR. The booklet is as professional as you get. Almost everything is indistinguishable from a proper label release. The band deserves a lot of credit for taking the trouble to do that. Being self-released, and on the border between an album and a demo also explains the length of the CDR. But 35 minutes is a fair amount of music when you get it quite cheap. Despite being purely instrumental, the song titles grant us a small view into the minds of those who make the music. Beneath the nice, bouncy groove of the air-guitar-friendly riffing there is a context of mainly trucks and sex. I can understand the truck part since, as I've already stated, this is good driving music. But sex with a grooving bounce can seem a bit strange. But it's neutral enough for you to enjoy it however you like. I find it to be best suited to run in the background while the mind wanders. This isn't a pure doom release. This is mostly for fans of Gordian Knot, Isis and of course Pelican. If you're looking for a nice relaxed stoner groove with no strings attached, then this is for you. Very decent stoner/drone.	1. Truckers Of Steel 2. Waxing The Shaft 3. Boss Eye 4. Sex Wound 5. Truckasaurus Rex 6. Fan On Fan Off Approx. 35 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen
Electric Blacksmith (CD) 2006 Gallipoli
Mothertrucker is back with a new album, which of course is all instrumental. Compared to 'The Last Ride of Dr Sanchez', the music leans less towards stoner metal and more towards doomcore droners like Pelican. The result is that while they still sound like themselves, they have lost some of the original edge they had on the previous CD. When it comes to musicianship quality though, they've lost no ground and can compete very well with other similar bands. According to the song titles, the music has a sci-fi or post apocalyptic setting attached to it. However, there are rarely any spaced elements involved. It's also a bit too calm to involve any wars or fights. The soundscapes are somewhat arid though, and thus I'm fully capable of envisioning it as a desert world of some kind. Perhaps this is Planet 55? In the Cancri system they have labeled five planets Planet 55 Cnc A through E and it's theorized that one of them is the size of Jupiter. No need to mention that Mothertrucker has managed one of the really great things that can be achieved through instrumental music: It inspires the imagination. This, of course, makes one wonder about the title of the fifth track, 'Kings of Kabaddi'. Kabaddi is a south-Asian team sport where one is supposed to wrestle your opponents and then return to your side of the field to get a point. Sort of like tag as a team sport. Perhaps the most important rule is that they are not allowed to breathe while attacking and have to chant "kabaddi" to prove that they're not breathing. I'm not 100% sure how this fits together with the music as I'm still given that arid, desert-like feeling from the music. My final judgment is that those who like doomcore/drone might be interested in this. There is enough good riffage to keep you entertained as an active listener, as well as a smooth enough feeling to make it good background music.	1. Horn of Edwards 2. The Russian 3. The taking of Planet 55 4. Dark Destroyer 5. Kings of Kabaddi Approx. 33 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen