Plow – ‘Bicentennial Picnic’ EP Review

Sometimes it takes one note. Just one fuzzed up note and you know, you just do, that this is going to be a record that you’re going to enjoy. Such is the case with Plow whose latest EP ‘Bicentennial picnic’ is a heady brew of vintage Black Sabbath, the twisted ultra-heavy psychedelia of 13^th Floor Elevators and Black Label Society all rolled into one massive, hulking, pyche-stoner sound that envelops the listener as surely as the darkness of night in a hearty embrace that refuses to let go until the EP draws to a shuddering halt some twenty minutes later.

First track ‘high tide’ is all you need to discover that Plow are irrefutably awesome. The fuzzy, ultra-distorted guitar, the rumble of abused toms and the thudding bass all pave the way for a voice that clearly issues from a throat worn down with Jack Daniels and countless cigarettes. It’s a corroded voice that speaks of years of hard-won experience, and yet it’s always melodic, lending each tune a gritty-yet-memorable feel, whilst James Becker’s grinding guitars spin and swirl atop the percussion like desert sand caught in the wind. It’s impressive, beautifully heavy music that’s hard enough to please the most ardent head banger and yet possessed of enough complexity, subtlety and variety to make you return time and again,, only to pick out some new element that you missed on your last visit. Heavier altogether is the brutal ‘bad day for a picnic’ which sees Rune Baek come on like a run-down cross between Wino, Zakk Wylde and John Garcia, his tortured howl terrorising the layers of guitars that form its backdrop. It’s a blistering track, one that’s akin to an animal that’s sat in the sun for so long it’s mad as hell but no longer remembers why and thus strikes out at anything foolish enough to step within clawing distance. Layers of guitars sit upon layers of guitars and yet the whole thing  stops short of confusion, the sound rather a beautifully realised, fuzzy, stoner mess that sits happily amidst the likes of Sleep, Kyuss and Karma to burn.

Aptly titled, ‘furrow of doom’ is a brutally sludgy assault that picks up an unsettlingly frantic pace compared to the other tracks here and has a good go at singing the very hair from your eyebrows whilst it’s the brilliantly crusty vocals that once again draw the attention so utterly convincing is their delivery. The grand finale, however, must surely be the highlight of the EP. At nine minutes it’s an epic journey, and the band make full use of the time to launch a fizzing, stinging attack upon the sense that is not soon forgotten. Slow to take off, the tune hauls itself out of a mess of chugging, distorted guitars before a hypnotic beat grinds down your resolve and the guitars intertwine and dance around the melody drawing you ever deeper into the band’s twisted heart, leading towards a remarkable mid-section that combines the oddball dynamics of Sonic Youth with the sand-blasted riffs of Kyuss. Quite simply – it rules.

Plow, then, offer a near perfect take on heavy stoner-doom that is as compelling as it is exciting. Theirs is a rich tapestry of variety and dynamic, the guitars working together to lay down a vast sonic backdrop to Rune’s amazing voice and just when it sounds like the whole thing is veering too far out of tune or off kilter a swift change of direction sees the music head off on yet another unexpected tangent, always maintaining that vital interest and yet keeping the overall structure cohesive. Available on bandcamp, you can listen to the tracks below and see for yourself what the fuss is about, but on the strength of this EP it seems clear that given time and the passionate following they deserve, Plow will go on to become very special indeed.

Want to try Plow for yourself? Have a listen here: