| Swinging' Beef (EP) | 1997 | No Label |
Pod People have strong stoner rock tendencies; they can at times sound psychedelic, but when you're grooving your little stoner heart out and you are about to hail the mighty mushroom (or some other mind altering substance)… cookie monster growls and death-metalish music! At times the growls accompany the psychedelic grove but its not uncommon for Pod People to suddenly show more than a sparkle of death-metal. Imagine Entombed going stoner rock and you might actually have a good idea of how this sounds. Still it must be said that the stoner influences outweigh the death-metal influences by far.
The entire album has a relax vibe all over it and it is obviously 'smoking' music. Growls and death metal influences or not, the atmosphere remains one of "chill out". Which is actually something I quite admire, because these Pod People can be pretty heavy at times and it is hard to show any death-metal influence without also sounding more brutal. Pod People however manage it perfectly and create groovy, relaxing, doomy and stoned out ear candy. Yes, they definitely surprised me and if you're not familiar with them I'd say let them surprise you too. And if you are familiar with them, why in gods name are you reading this review anyway? :)
1. Woolly Mammoth
2. Modah
3. Sneaky
4. Spark
5. Lumpton Swayles
Approx. 25 minutes
| Soil (EP) | 1999 | No Label |
The biggest difference is probably that 'Soil' is slightly less psychedelic and that it has more of a harder hitting and straightforward feel. The cookie monster growls sound even better than before and the music is slightly heavier with more "body". The relaxed groove is still there making this another great chill out CD. But this album might rather encourage some "pod people" to jump around, while the 'Swingin' Beef' EP got them to sit down, light up another and just space out. All in all the differences between both EP's aren't that big and 'Soil' can perhaps be seen as an improvement on the sound they developped on 'Swingin' Beef'.
This stoner rock mixed with death metal is really something and the band has perfected this mix on 'Soil'. This album is definitely ear candy and "listens away" like a charm. Perhaps Pod People is not something for the more depressed doomsters out there, but anybody into a good dose of ye olde death rock & roll, or anybody looking for an interesting edge within stoner rock, try out Pod People.
1. Goin' South
2. Pommygranite
3. The Way
4. Rewind
5. Karmageddon
6. Swing
Approx. 27 minutes
| Doom Saloon (CD) | 2002 | High Beam |
Formed in Canberra, Australia in 1991, Pod People began life as a more stoner-oriented outfit, before suffering numerous personnel changes and entering the harsher world of doom/grind on their two late-90s Eps, 'Swingin' Beef' and 'Soil.' With 'Doom Saloon', the group has really put it all together, successfully assimilating their past with an eye towards a doomier future. The leadoff track tells the tale: 'Filling the Void' is great early Sabbath-style chugging combined with harsh death groove vocals recalling Entombed's 'Uprising'. The cold, spacey guitar solo ain't too shabby either. 'Roadblock' shows that Pod People can do the clean vocals thing just fine, thank you, but they throw in some black metal screams just to show us what`s what. 'Hoovin' is great stoner groove with clean vocals overlaid with harsh harmonies, while 'Subterranean' brings us back to The Doom: slow, sludgey, bloody, and still screaming on its tarnished silver platter. A personal favorite is 'King Tide'. With its stoner vibe and haunting, harsh vocals run through heavy reverb, its just so damned cool. I have the distinct feeling the Pods crush live; it's a sad fact that most of us outside Australia will never get to experience it.
It`s not often that I call out the artwork on a CD insert, but this one begs a mention. It's a gorgeous rendering, by Alchemist`s guitarist Roy Torkington, of the Inferno from Dante's 'Divine Comedy,' printed with multiple foldouts in the form of an inverted cross. Hell, this is so striking that it recalls the glory days of diecut LP jackets. Can there be any greater praise? In a recent interview, guitarist Josh Nixon hinted that Purgatory and Paradise may be the themes for future Pod releases; I can't wait to see what Torkington does with those.
Make no mistake: Pod People have done something musically important here, albeit with a wink and a stoned, drunken leer. They've managed to meld a disparate number of underground metal influences together to form something unique in the world of doom. Enthusiasts of everything from Sabbath, Bethlehem, Entombed, Isis, Khanate, and Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine to early Cathedral, St. Vitus, Winter, Evoken, and Candlemass will be able to pick up on the love that Pod People are dishing out. This is Australia's doom album of the year for 2002.
1. Filling the Void
2. The Missed
3. Roadblock
4. Hoovin'
5. Subterranean
6. Look Beneath
7. Ascend to Glamstonia
8. Testing the Waters
9. King Tide
10. Non-Prophet
Approx. 50 minutes