Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Stratus Nimbus are clouds basically and by definition, the two-word term describes a gray looking, low hanging cloud. It could also be an aura that surrounds someone like a supposed deity during their time upon the Earth. Yeah, yeah, Stratus Nimbus could be all that, but I can tell you what Stratus Nimbus definitely is without question…
A bad-ass psyche/doom/stoner band from the Prescott Valley region of Arizona, who released their self-titled effort a couple of months back. That release is a true labor of love effort, too. One headed by the Dowd brothers Dan (guitars) and Doug (drums, vocals) with a collective of friends.
Those friends include guitarists Collin Ragan and Tom Goddard (plus a guest cameo from Fabrizio Monni of Black Capricorn), bassists Tom Davies and Luke Shelley, and vocalists Linda Rydelius and Chris Buskirk.
What these folks have managed to create and capture on this record is nothing short of astounding. Hazy and lysergic traits permeate the six tracks with heady atmospherics. Seemingly random sonic emanations, that are not that happenstance at all, pepper things at any given moment. Rife with downtuned transmissions, doomy vibes are channeled via fuzzened guitars on back to back cuts “Can’t Break Free” and “A Walk In The Dark“. The former has intensely ethereal elements rippling within it, while the latter is a bluesy, slower tempo groover.
More psychedelic nuances are explored on songs like the amazing “Galaxy Girl” or the powerful album-ending “Rain Jam“. In fact, “Rain Jam” has a real early Butthole Surfers vibe to it and when it comes to psychedelia, that’s about the best compliment there is in my book.
Stratus Nimbus probably is not for everyone and that’s okay, to each their own, but if you like outside the norm… well then, this is what you’re looking for. Check it out in the Bandcamp stream embedded below and get your head into THESE clouds.
