Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Black Rainbows
Label: Longfellow Deeds Records
Released: 2010
Runtime: 44:52
Rating: 3.5/5
Three decades after the first modern-day initiation into the desert idea of stoner, it still hasn’t died out, and good thing too! Not every word has been sung yet, not every song written, not every last puff smoked. This time you can set off on a crash course in the genre by heading straight to our neighbors in Rome. The Italian re-conceptualization, or let’s say recap, of the guidelines and tradition of this heavy metal subgenre, which was bored and needed a few psychogenic substances, simpler riffs and an excuse to switch off, goes by the name Black Rainbows. So no, not the Canadian punk project of the same name from Toronto, with its pale sound, but a completely new pair of already well-worn shoes.
Black Rainbows formed in 2005. A side product of wanting to have a good time and a joke, they soon became a serious blend of psychedelia, delivered in the manner of Nebula, Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age, and in the name of wanting more they gave birth to their debut Twilight In The Desert and signed with the French label Longfellow Deeds. They’ve stayed loyal to the French even today, and they serve up a second dose of simple indulgence on the record Carmina Diabolo.
Plenty of people have already written songs about stoned desert bliss, and yes, the sun has set over the horizon of this genre more than once, but there’s still some passion left, along with that essential something that deserves your attention. Carmina Diabolo is a record that doesn’t get tangled up in excess. The vocals are decent, even perfect for this genre. The guitar is eclectic and Gabriele Fiori knows at least enough chords that it doesn’t all sound like one single song. Conti and De Masi follow him nicely and the music flows like butter. A trio is therefore plenty for a full-blooded meal of music that hypnotizes with a couple of chords, dirty and soaked in sweat, with a shamelessly simple but effective production. The sound is homogeneous and offers no outbursts of know-it-all-ness or virtuoso wankery. You can listen to the record without a lump in your throat or a burning sensation in the rectal region, since the guys in no way sell themselves as the latest news of the moment. So Carmina Diabolo ends up easily on that part of your CD shelf that you reach for every now and then, but it’s not the central altar where only the holiest relics for your everyday musical ritual are kept.
Black Rainbows are like Clutch with a touch of Kyuss or even Black Sabbath, Fu Manchu style. Going by all that, the release is no key milestone in the stoner sky, nor a revelation or a revolution, but it certainly can’t be written off as boring pounding and waffling. Black Rinbows are tuned in and know how to grab your attention, and this three-quarter course in stoner literacy at least gives you a good cue to go rummaging through dusty drawers where you stashed the original “sins” listed above, the ones that led your musical wanderings off the “right” path.
Lineup
Gabriele Fiori – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Marco De Masi – bass
Daniele Conti – drums
Production
Gabriele Fiori
Tracklist
1. Himalaya
2. Babylon
3. Under The Sun
4. What’s In Your Head
5. Bulls & Bones
6. Carmen Diabolo
7. In The City
8. Return To Volturn
9. The Witch
10. Space Kingdom
