Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Metallic stoner/doom from The Holy Land…. kind of intriguing, is it not? Yeah, I thought so too, that’s why I’m here tackling this review today, in fact.
From Nazareth Illit, Israel comes THIRST PLANET and their first full-length album, ‘The Essence‘, released back in early April. The trio seeking to quench that planetary size parching are Leonid Mickoliuk (bass & vocals), Anton Dor (guitar), and Boris Rozenberg (drums).
I’m going to go out on a limb here and state the following – which I wholeheartedly believe for what it is worth – and that is this: We may have the first, real sleeper hit album of 2018 right here. I make that claim because I’ve heard or seen, little coverage of this album yet and THAT is a mistake in every sense of the word.
With an unlimited dose of heavy metal underpinning, this music is chock full of stoner-fied doominess and heavy-ass grit. This music pummels your ears incessantly and it begins right from the start with “Chain“. Deep grooves, rumbling bass rhythms, powerhouse drumming, and bluesy, gravelly vocals do their thing and I think you will dig it.
Then there are other knock-out tracks like “Dry Tank” (one of my personal faves), or the bludgeoning blows of “The Arrival” and “Muddy Feet“. The latter’s avalanche of monstrous riffs and sludgy, semi post-hardcore fused grunge nuances are just killers.
Speaking of killer, THIRST PLANET also explores some intense, all-out psychedelic jams in such numbers as “Into The Unknown“, the brief interlude “Across The Fathomless” and the superb super unknown of “Planet Of Thirst“. The first two of these tracks feature a guest, Bar Schmilovich, providing samples & synths.
There is much to be explored and experienced on the introductory opus from THIRST PLANET, ‘The Essence‘, none of which seems like the work of a band on their first time out. All in all, this record seems to be the work of an experienced set of players and it sets the bar rather high, not just for any follow-up to come from the band but for other, contemporary releases, also out at this time and competing for listeners.
Stream ‘The Essence‘ from THIRST PLANET here in the review or head over to Bandcamp [HERE] where you can stream/ purchase this profound studio outing.
On an added note, THIRST PLANET has announced an Album Release Show (w/ KNEES PLEASE and FET) set for June 16 at OzenBar in Tel Aviv, Israel [INFO].
