Wildildlife

Six

Crucial Blast Records 2007

A dissonant cacophony of tripped-out stoner metal unfurls before us like a mystical ceremony.  That is the core essence of what I envision when I hear San Francisco’s Wildildlife.  It is sort of a mystical trip on acid or shrooms or some other psychotropic mindbender.   Album starter, Things Will Grow brings echoes of The Pixies with its catchy alternative riffing juxtaposed with twinges of metal scraped edges and washed out vocals.  The beginning of Magic Jordon calls to mind the Doors at their most mind expanding and rambling.  After that, the song careens into thunderous distorted riffs before drifting off into a dream state of sleepy vocals and tinkling bells.  Feed’s vocal patterns remind me of Sisters of Mercy at times with sort of a deep goth vocal sort of sound though they are more hollow sounding as if they were recorded in a bathroom stall.  Surrounding those vocals are sonically passionate melodies and hammering drums that pound as if rocks were being beaten on the earth.  The final sonf, Nervous Buzzing has an overbearing effect of exactly what the title would imply, nervous buzzing.  It is pretty distracting and painful to listen to at first but then when the deep, unearthly voice calls out and the guitar hits electric notes in the nebulous darkness it all comes together and emerges as a sinister subconscious force.  The album all together has a feeling of being shamanistic and out of the 70s due to its washed out production and the echoing vocals.  This production style fits the music perfectly.  Wildildlife exhibits a mystical and unearthly feeling with tribal origins due mainly to its constantly pounding drums and peyote mimicking soundscapes.  Each song varies drastically in mood and texture.  If you are seeking an escape from both your life and the confines of the body as it imprisons you on the earthly plane then seek Six as it is a catalyst for a primitive spiritual journey.