Release
date: September 2nd 2017. Label: Cardinal Fuzz/Evil Hoodoo. Format:
CD/DD/VInyl
Passage
To Agartha – Tracklisting
1.Quasar 11:03
2.Kanged Cortex
11:54
3.Chasing the
Tendrils 16:59
4.Passage to Agartha
14:43
5.Ohms of the Cavern
Current 11:39
6.Oroshi 22:57
Members
Ben - One Drumkit
Toby - One Guitar
Review
Aussie
Instrumental Sludge Rockers - Hotel Wrecking City Traders - new
album, Passage To Agartha - is an epic album. Comprising of six
tracks and clocking in around ninety minutes. This is an album that
you need to take your time with as some parts of the album are very
easy to listen. Whilst other parts are of the album is quite
experimental and may test the patience of some their fans You can't
deny the adventurous drive that the band has shown here. As they've
taken their trademark psychedelic sludge/doom instrumental riffs to
another level. This is perhaps the most complete album that the band
has released to date.
Opening
track - Quasar - is a post-rock/post-metal style song with the band
exploring many different doom/sludge based atmospherics that finally
merges into a heavy psychedelic outburst of different textures and
noises. It's a captivating song with Hotel Wrecking City Traders on
splendid creative form. The song does falter a few times but the band
soon pick themselves up and unleash another heavy spectacular riff
and one that drives the song to its natural conclusion.
Second
track - Kanged Cortex - is another spaced out song with ambient
noises being merged with the heavy sludgy guitars. The noisy and
glitchy sound effects take time getting used to but once the dust
settles the band once again settle into a more convincing rhythm.
Shades of Pelican-esque post-metal riffs appear and that sound drives
the album and band onto heavier psychedelic sounds. The drumming is
quite jazzy and frantic at times but is perhaps the main driving
force of this song. Everything feels built around or upon the intense
drumming of Ben.
Third
track - Chasing The Tendrils - is the seventeen minute opus that the
band closes the first half of the album with. It sees HWCT opening
with a more laid back style of post-rock/stoner sounds. The heavy
bass keeps the mood driving along. It can be a bit boring at times.
As the band don't change direction for the first few minutes of the
song. I know that the band have an epic time to fill up. I wanted
more variety after listening to the same repetitive sound over and
over again. Though it's a different story when the band start playing
heavier sludgier/post-metal style grooves. The mood becomes a bit
more exciting, As the band start to impress again like they did with
the first two opening tracks.
The
second half of the album offers three more songs of heavy epic spaced
and experimental sludge/post-metal/stoner sounds. The album does veer
into more psychedelic/prog rock territories but the band never
forgets their sludge/doom/stoner/post-metal roots. Out of the final
three songs, Passage To Agartha and Oroshi are perhaps the standout
songs on the album. With the band playing a more distorted
psychedelic drone style of music.
Passage
To Agartha is a very bold and daring album in some respects. As it
asks a lot of patience and endurance from the audience. Ninety
minutes listening to one album maybe too jarring some and it's
perhaps better listening to the album in different stages. As you can
easy feel lost with the many different styles of music that the band
performs on the album.
The
production is quite exquisite with each song having its own
distinctive feel and identity. Apart from a few minor flaws, Passage
To Agartha is a complex and brilliantly crafted album.
Words
by Steve Howe
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