Rebreather
Need Another Seven Astronauts (CD) 2002 Infernal Racket
Ohio's Rebreather claims to be influenced by both Eyehategod and Radiohead. Allow me to be a bit sceptical about the Radiohead influences, but the typical sludgy sound of Eyehategod is definitely there and so are (of course) the Sabbath influences. Guitarist Barley Rantilla is the vocalist of the band as well. His voice ranges from love-them-or-hate-them screamy vocals full of contempt and disgust for this failed humanity to clean 'Ozzy-like' vocals, which can get annoyingly out of tune at times. The vocals practically define the genre to which this band belongs (sludge) as the music reminds of different acts in the traditional doom genre and even of heavy groovsters like Electric Wizard and Malasangre. Unfortunately, the alteration of calmer parts with clean vocals followed by aggressive outbursts with screamy vocals, reminded me occasionally of some nu metal bands (like f.i. on the first track 'Eartmover'), but the Sabbath<-influenced riffing shows that those guys have a good musical taste. I forgive them. All in all, Rebreather have some quite catchy riffing going on, which makes me suspect that they are going to make it one day if they keep trying. Many of their vocal lines sound interesting as well, although the clean vocals clearly need some improvement. The most interesting moments on this cd are definitely the slow, pounding, distorted parts, which are loaded with much hate and anger. Tracks like the lengthy jam 'Ropeladder/seedspreader' even give a hint of creative potential that could make this band a force to be reckoned with in the future.	1. Earthmover 2. Joy bang 3. Pushing the lights 4. Inaudible 5. Ropeladder / seedspreader Approx. 33 minutes
Reviewed by: Kostas Panagiotou
Starchild / Rebreather Split (CD) 2004 Twin Earth Records
This is one of the most monstrously heavy releases of the year, by two bands who routinely level cities with an intensity not seen since the Viking days of yore. It’s hard to believe that there's a single building left in Waycross, Georgia, home base of cosmic doomsters Starchild. These bad mofos have been a personal favourite for the past year, reinventing Sabbath with an original interpretation timeless in its combination of classic heavy references and up-to-date feeling. They slay, they crush, they kill. Their carefully structured songs, harnessing the hypnotic power of repetition, boast the considerable echoing vocal talents and guitar prowess of Rick Bennett, not to mention the abilities of bassist Kenny O'Bara. He seems to have an intuitive feeling about when to rebel and when to play along. And the drums...ah yes...that Jucifer-like pounding must come from a 10-pound set of mallets instead of conventional drumsticks. That rhythm really brings the doom! But what really sets Starchild apart are the wonderful, spiritual lyrics. They're obsessed with cosmic meaning and almost Hawkwind-like in their druggy abstraction. Starchild's songs on this EP, which circulated some months ago as part of a demo, are well matched in their slow, stomping, doomy melodicism. These guys know how to harness the power of the dinosaur! I confess that I'm not the world's foremost expert on Rebreather. I saw them at SHOD 2 in Youngstown, and heard a demo a couple of years later. I really dug their brand of heavy, screaming sludge, but somehow sorta kinda lost track of them in the past year or two. So I welcomed this opportunity to catch up with Youngstown's finest, and they've got a great collection o' tuneage this go 'round, highlighting the group chemistry that is their trademark. The sludgey, passionate vokills that I remember are still very much in evidence, but there are also some clean, melodic vocals as well. The songs are tight as a nun's bung, featuring Everest-style riffs that take the back of your head off as casually as a nuclear explosion snuffs out a fly. Rebreather has matured, and it's all good. It's easy to see why so many people think that Rebreather lives very close to the heart of the heavy. It looks to me like Starchild are camped out in the same general neighbourhood. Don't even bother to try to fight the power, just give in and get what is sure to be one of the year's best discs. It's the right thing to do.	Starchild: 1. Rainbow 2. War of the Worlds 3. Psychonaut Rebreather: 4. Come to the Back/Madre 5. Helena Song 6. Matter Vacuum Approx. 45 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh