Album Review: Soothsayer

Wellington certainly seems to be a hot bed for stoner-grunge / doom-metal. The scene of detuned, heavy, slow-paced (okay, that’s not always true but they CAN play incredibly slowly) acts with sci-fi related imagery include bands such as Planet of The Dead, Mammuthus, Infinity Ritual … but let’s be honest, the best example is the widely successful and cherished Beast Wars. It’s a genre that seems perfect for the Wellington region – sludgy, fuzzy, beardy, bogan-esque, but with a particular IPA flavour to it all …

Cosmic rockers Planet Hunter are an example that follows some of these stereotypes and denies others. They are an exceptionally imaginative band with creative imagery that aligns with their sound, and their songs feature grandiose lyrics about extraterrestrials, time-travel, resurrection and the future of humanity. You know, epic stuff.

Planet Hunter was founded on April 19, 2017 to coincide with a satellite launch of the same name searching for intelligent life. On Soothsayer, their follow up to 2020’s Moscovium, Planet Hunter throws out some hooky riffs that can be catchy as much as they are hypnotic. There is passion, but not unbridled rage (for the most part). The music is urgent, rather than frantic, with a few contemplative moments in the less rocky numbers (Lazarus, Cataract and Unholy Union, all of which are found near the end of the album). The artwork from Emma Weakley is a colourful yet apocalyptic that encapsulates the album’s themes well, relating specifically to the lyrics on Lazarus, the album closer and the longest song. The riffs here are not needlessly complex as some you may find in modern sub-genres of metal, rather they find a groove (occasionally right from the get-go!) and keep the listener entertained by changing into different sections or by adding a new element such as a soaring vocal line or a tortured guitar noise to drift above the chugs.

Recorded at Newtown’s The Studio, the production is smart, neat and punchy. The mix is balanced with a slight lean to the bass that holds the songs together and is indicative of the sub-genre. Vocals are treated with distortion on some tunes to let them push through the mix with a little reverb. The band (Cormac Ferris on vocals, William Saunders on guitar, Jedaiah Van Ewijk on bass, and David McGurk on drums) has a sound that has nods to American modern progressive metal, but the songs on Soothsayer are lean and straight to the point, so the elements they borrow from acts such as Deftones, Chevelle, Melvins, Prisma, Clutch, Red Fang and (most notably) Tool are distilled and concentrated for maximum impact with next to zero superfluous ambience so often found in modern prog.

The album begins with early release single One Thousand Years From Now, which features a full-on irresistible head banger of a riff. The band begins immediately and this is a feature found throughout the album with no real intro or the time honoured ‘guitar plays twice then the band joins in’ nonsense. The tune is a lean two minutes of chug worship with some thick tones and fundamental drums that support the song and have a few tasty fills. There are some great guitar breaks such as a nicely textured single note bent to the stratosphere, and then later a nice wah’d out solo that cuts above the throng. The chorus is super catchy despite the depressingly prophetic refrain of: “The end / Is coming / We’re all caught in the slipstream!”.

Lyrically I believe the song is hinting at the non-permanence of our existence, perhaps best demonstrated by the lines: “In one thousand years from now there’ll be nothing left / And all we built and the words and songs will be long forgotten.” The song ends as suddenly and as tightly as it began, and while it’s probably the most commercial and digestible song on offer there are meatier bites to come – but a great song to kick things off! The music video also brings to light another element that I know is present in the band but not immediately obvious from the music on the album: humour. The band obviously don’t take themselves too seriously as the video has all members playing in a shed and celebrating the ‘dad-band’ stereotype complete with beers, fireworks, exercise equipment and shed/kiwi culture.

There are elements of Deftones in the bass growling Kaikōura Lights that has one hell of a fine pre-chorus that transitions into the chorus seamlessly. There’s some great interplay of instruments occurring creating a textured fabric of cosmic riffage. The soaring vocals for the bridge are especially impressive: “I saw something I just cannot explain / And it shook me to the core / Seemed so close but it was miles away / Defied the laws of nature”. There’s a slightly derivative Adam Jones Aenima-era solo (the ol’ hold a note with wah and wail over your band) but you could say it’s a homage – it certainly fits the song perfectly, so no complaints. The ending is truly apocalyptic as the feedback rings and then settles.

Ouija is another immediate start song which demonstrates how amazing Ferris is as a vocalist. The drumming here leans toward the ride and has a slightly jazzy feel. There is also some interesting use of harmony in the guitar lines making special use of the 4th interval (a la Smoke on The Water) followed by some really complex dissonance off-beats used in an imaginative way as the song concludes. Thematically the song plays with themes of communicating with spirits as a metaphor for politicians who control our lives: ‘You’ve poisoned our minds with what we want to hear’. The song also features the first actual use of the word soothsayer at the end, hinting that nobody can know the future for certain.

Unholy Union opens up with one of the album’s heaviest riffs. Ethereal vocals float above the thunder, until a tension building escalating riff takes the listener on a rocket ride. When we reach Kármán line (that’s the point where space is generally considered to join the atmosphere for those non-astrophysicists among us) the band lets their sound hang and feedback propels the song forward gently like a wave, only to return with some tasty dissonance before one of the impressive vocal deliveries on the album.

The title of the next track is most likely a reference to the World Economic Forum’s now infamous speeches about the future by Klaus Schwab and Ida Margrete Meier Auken referred to now in popular culture as ‘You’ll Own Nothing and Be Happy’. You’ll Be Happy is perhaps the angriest on the album as there is some real emotion when the band performs coupled with the visceral lyrics: “This fucking psycho reptilian / The global reset, initiative… / Packing us all into boxes / And feeding us locusts / Spreading the institution / Just like a virus… / Shackled in chains / Once individuals now we’re all the same”. This is an incredible song, but I’m glad it comes this late in the album after the listener has experienced what the band writes typically. In fact, the last three songs nearly form a type of triptych of sorts, showing the more experimental side of the band.

Second to last song Cataract begins immediately, but unlike some of the other riffs that are largely ambiguous as to their colouring or mood, this riff is especially minor sounding. The word cataract might refer to blindness to one particular thing directly in front of us and I think this relates to the themes explored. The vocal delivery here is contemplative as if Ferris is genuinely fascinated by human behaviour: “A truly amazing sight to see / How we just keep on living / Creatures of comfort and destruction… / Poisoned the air / Yet we breathe it anyway… / Shouldn’t we do something about it? / If only we did not fear the change”. This song demonstrates an exceptional use of dynamics as the band performs a quiet bridge that brings a calm, if tense atmosphere, followed by a very heavy section leading to a climax and ending with squalls of feedback that dissolve slowly, creating the perfect segue into…

…the final song, Lazarus. This tune is probably the most prog on the album, but begins (unusually for the genre) with the vocal line “I am a ghost of a man!”. The song quickly enters a rather introspective section as Ferris sings: “Buried underneath a broken sky / Blood vessels are burst and I’ve lost my sight” that seem to relate not only to the album cover design but also ties thematically back to Cataract. This, their longest song, really relishes the opportunity for massive thundering chords to be allowed to marinate in the reverb, then returning to another quiet section, “So lost and all alone / I’m caught out in the blizzard with all my demons / My body’s restless but my spirit is tired”. The song regains its initial energy as the protagonist lyrically accepts the old hierarchies that built this world: “Oh what a shame / How it turned out this way / It’s just insane / The bullshit you made” but fear not, for Lazarus will “one day I will, come back from the dead” so you should “get out of the way!” The song ends with a hypnotic solo that sounds like it is deliberately occurring in a different time signature and is constantly fighting for dominance with the rest of the band’s rhythm – which might even relate to a real battle as the old order is replaced with the new.

Soothsayer is a powerful album filled with hooky melodies and, for the most part, straight-ahead modern sludge rock of the highest calibre. Near the end of the album the band displays their ability to experiment within the genre with some interesting textures and time signatures. Well produced with not a moment wasted, this is one lean, mean collection of riff-infused tracks with thoughtful lyrics and passionate performances. Catch these guys live to see one hell of a stage show!