(c) Schubmodul
From the highest heights to the lowest depths: almost exactly two years ago we ventured out Schubmodul with her self-published first novel “Modul I” into interstellar worlds. Their almost completely instrumental sound, which dealt intensively with stoner, psychedelic and, well, space rock, was received with open ears, and a little later Tonzone Records came knocking on the trio from Bochum’s door. That’s where the successor ends up „Lost In Kelp Forest“which conceptually moves in an underwater world and had fragments of the story supplemented by professional speakers.
But the focus remains on the instruments that say it all. “Voyage” begins with ominous psychedelia and immerses you – in the truest sense of the word – in the story. Little by little, a mystical, initially pounding, then emphatically spacious track develops, whose virtuosic guitar solo towards the end is a real, welcome surprise. After that, “Emerald Maze” scratches the ten-minute mark and captures everything that defines thrust modulus. The drumming engine lays the foundation for a real epic that can handle massive heaviness as well as delicate prog rides that come across as surprisingly retro. At some point the trio escapes the labyrinth and lets out hopeful sounds.
“Ascension” turns out to be the most frontal piece, and not just because of its length. The ascent seems anything but easy, accompanied by confusion and unexpected turns, restless and yet unceasing. This unrest also runs through “Silent Echoes”, another giant of heaviness, which plays murderous stoner riffs deliberately slowly and in this way creates massive walls of sound. The radio message to nowhere struggles with the eerie silence of the deep seabed before a wild, courageous guitar solo breaks the disturbing idyll in the air with growing enthusiasm.
Due to their narrative qualities alone – whether with or without speakers – it is difficult to escape the sounds of Schubmodul. Elements of stoner, psych, space, prog and desert rock are always recognizable, of course, but the trio makes their own thing out of it, skillfully takes this special madness further and tells an incredible amount with changing moods (and voices). “Lost In Kelp Forest” is a headphone album in which an awful lot is happening in your mind’s eye. Schubmodul are on the verge of establishing themselves as speechless storytellers.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: February 23, 2024
Available via: Tonzone Records (Soulfood Music)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Schubmodul
Category: Magazin, Reviews