Kal-El
Astrodoomeda

It is easy to think that Norwegian intergalactic stoner rockers Kal-El can be considered movie fans, especially science-fiction movies. Their name is one of those and on their website we can read the phrase: may the rock be with you – you all know what that is a variation of. Their third space journey takes us through atmospheres, on board a mothership and on a journey on some other spacecraft, perhaps on our way to the ending Green Machine that happens to have its origin in the chronicles of Kyuss.

In the press sheet I read about their similarity to things like Black Sabbath, Monster Magnet and Nebula. It is stoner rock/metal, they reside in the hard rock/heavy metal borderland with elements of blues rock and psychedelic stuff to add a little more flavour, and there is a little bit of a spacey feel to the album. Decent variation over eight songs with a singer that sounds a bit like a fresher version of Ozzy, and a very powerful soundscape. Perhaps it could have been a little bit more adventurous, as I don’t think they really make something that stand out style-wise hence the namedropping as it is easier to draw parallels than to actually hear the character of this band.

I like the power, the energy and feel – the songs are good and the vocalist is quite good as well. Fans of the genre should find this album quite appealing; it is a solid stoner rock effort with great strength and feel. But it isn’t particularly unique and they sound a bit generic to me, and that probably means that it is a band that will not make any bigger impression in the grander scheme of things. But if you are into the stoner rock genre I think there is a chance that you will find Astrodoomeda an enjoyable album.

I don’t think Kal-El flies as high as their band name seems to indicate, they make a solid album with strong songs and no major weaknesses. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the best song of the album is a cover, which is never really a good thing. Nevertheless, the rock is with Kal-El and their new album should be looked at if you are a stoner fan.

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