Last year the Underground Pilots decided to return to the studio and record their back catalouge from beginning to end, however since then time has been taken up elsewhere, most noticeably with their involvement in the rather successful Icebreaker Festival and along the way the band parted with guitarist Tyrone as he went off travelling, both events then contributing to the release of “Anthology” being put on the back seat for a while – that is of course, until now.
So following a well deserved break and with a potential new direction in the pipeline “Anthology” marks the end of a chapter for the Underground Pilots and a fitting trip down memory lane to capture the previous three years work all in one album.
The album opens with the feedback intro for “Another Part“, a song that itself had previously appeared on an EP of the same name and during the next eighteen tracks the Underground Pilots give us plenty of stoner rock and trippy guitars.
Whilst there are plenty of heavy riffs on the album, near the start of proceedings “Razor Blade” and “Abyss” provide some slower moments (albeit with both songs then kicking in halfway through), it’s a formula that crops up on more than one occasion during “Anthology” but it’s these moments that help show off the guitar work of Tim Gordon and the aforementioned Tyrone.
Likewise it’s the slow guitar on “New Wave” that demonstrate how subtle effects can create something unnerving just as much as the back to back assault of “Gerbal” and “Gnus” with their distortion pedals turned up full to enable the vocals to be shouted out with more anger than the usual laid back approach.
The vocals are often performed in a cool and reserved manner, albeit the odd occasion possibly too much so, however part of the appeal for the record isn’t to produce something faultless but an album to help capture the group live in the studio and as such you want it to sound real – you need the slight imperfections to help make it raw and honest.
There may also be a couple of throw away tracks but on the whole the Underground Pilots have a strong balance of classic stoner rock, combined with a frontman who brings an Alice in Chains/Stone Temple Pilots style 90’s Seattle grunge vibe to the band and it’s this combination that shines with live favorites such as “Buzzsaw” sounding as good as ever.
Penultimate track “Numb” then continues in the same vein along with the pounding drums and screams to help remind you the Underground Pilots aren’t done quite yet, and as things are slowed down once again for “Alone” you’re left wondering as to what the next chapter will bring…. but for now, thanks for the first three years, it’s been a blast.
www.theundergroundpilots.bandcamp.com
