Stöner Kebab
Chapter Zerö (CD) 2006 Dufresne Attack
Stöner Kebab: the name gives rise to visions of a corpse in a Kyuss tee being sliced, diced, and impaled, then roasted over an open fire with peppers and onions by wild-looking dudes wearing... Kyuss tees. OK, so it's not the greatest band name in history, but you have to admit there's a certain twisted humor about it. As the name implies, these guys play it desert style. It's nothing you haven't heard before, but lovers of desert sounds (like me) won't mind hearing it again. Don't be fooled, however, by the 50-minute album length; this is really just an EP, as the last track is mostly silence. 'Cöp Söng' opens the disc in fine form, with distorted UFOMAMMUT-style vocals bellowed over a heap of desert distortion and a dash of Zep's 'Immigrant Song'. 'Amazing Aurakaria' is a churning taste of Orange Goblin partying down with Smoke in Sunshine, if you can imagine that. Unfortunately, the songwriting becomes less engaging after that, and the 36-minute 'Stöner Kebab' is just a melange of uninspired riffing, irritating sludge doom, and excessive digital silence, capped with a not-bad-at-all hard psychedelic jam. I'm down with any band that can find their sense of humor, and this group has definitely found theirs. They may, however, benefit from the artistic development mavens at an excellent label like Small Stone, who would leave the group's heart intact but give them a sense of focus, enabling them to express what they do best, whether it's Kyuss riffing or instrumental jamming or screaming sludge. In the meantime, I hope Stöner Kebab sticks it out for awhile, just to see where they end up. Oh, and it might not hurt to try out a few new band names...	1. Cöp Söng 2. Amazing Aurakaria 3. The March öf the Yellöw Lizard 4. Saint Geörge 5. Stöner Kebab Approx. 50 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh