Week two of a brand new year and already stumbling upon a project that naturally consumes you before you get the chance to write something. Greece-based stoner rock three-piece Smokedown have created six original tracks for The Toll Of Time, beginning with an ambient-industrial calm that quickly lures you in, and evolving through the nostalgic fuzz and riff-led intensity and passion of a hard-rock alternative gem. Loila sets the vibe, Nothing Left kicks up the energy and style of Smokedown, and already we’re into the blessing of original rock escapism.
Fast-paced grooves and heavy distortion, quick licks that are instantly recognisable, a hazy production akin to the grunge-rock and alternative realms of eras past – the instrumental alone strikes up a love for this project, but then the vocal for Nothing left showcases a more thoughtful, poetic and evocative thread of expression, to finish things with poignancy and depth.
As we move into Lasting Pain, the music is again gifted the time and space to carve out an alluring pathway. More commonly these days we find that snappy and methodical songwriting leaves much to be desired in terms of instrumental appeal. Enter Smokedown, with an ambient guitar-led fusion of warmth and grit, not unlike the days of Placebo, but with a progressive rock vocal and sense of identity that swiftly feels like something new and provocative.
Lasting Pain gathers soaring momentum as it rolls along, the passion weighing heavy in everything from the live band fullness to the strained emotional peaks of the voice. There’s also a welcomed simplicity to the hook’s resolve, a crucial moment woven into a complex mix, which allows for a subtle earworm that lingers after listening.
That arena-rock intrigue and rising anticipation is a key aspect of The Toll Of Time – both as an EP title and an overarching concept itself. Desolated follows suit, the reverb-kissed riff and the industrial drumline all compelling you to turn up the volume and completely immerse yourself in the sound and mood.
The guitar tone is brilliant, old-school hard rock and grunge for that careful unity between distortion and reverb – paired guitars echoing through the realm, one with a secure pattern, the other freestyling its way through an enchanting solo performance.
The extended length of these tracks also leaves space for these guitar conversations and the evolution of the sound to really tighten their grip, and with Condemned in particular, for the hard rock and instrumental fans, this quality seems impossible to ignore or dislike.
Sunday wraps things up by seeming to extend upon the hints of possibility that resided in the higher-noted guitar sound of the former track. It’s a hypnotic instrumental progression, mildly psychedelic at times, and humbly distinct, and it appears to provide the perfect sense of calm and overcoming to complete the journey of this project.
This is genuinely one of the most likable, engaging and rather addictive alternative rock EPs to hit the scene in recent years. Smokedown master the space within which the music exists, not just playing for themselves, nor simply for you, but creating something that feels both comforting in its groove and persistence, and completely unexpected in both topic and tenacity.
Download The Toll Of Time via Bandcamp. Find Smokedown on YouTube, Apple, Instagram & Facebook.
