ALBUM REVIEW: Blacklab – Under The Strawberry Moon 2.0

Here I review the new Blacklab album, sent to me from I Like Press. From the included letter, they have been described as a duo of Japanese ladies playing Stoner/Doom Metal. The cover and album title certainly seem unusual for a Doom release, which really intrigues me, so without further delay here is my review.

1. Black Moon kicks in with beautifully droning chords and atmospheric drums, there is no need for any introduction, just classic, Sabbath like riffs. The vocals are really melodic, with some evil screams thrown in and the riffs are really catchy, with the drums laying a great foundation to the music. The song is nothing over-the-top, just some classic and fuzzy Doom Metal. The song drags in the way Doom Metal is known for, creating a really heavy and dark soundscape, perfectly suited to the extremely hot summer Europe is experiencing, it really adds to the heavy air. A really promising start.
2. Hidden Garden comes straight in once again with some “wah” laden chords and chugging guitar riffs, the vocal style here is a bit more discordant and in my opinion really lovely to listen to. There is something both very old school (70s psychedelic / stoner rock) and very modern Doom Metal about this, really diverse and unique take on the genre. The bluesy guitar leads are a really nice little touch and certainly add melody and more depth to the track, preventing any repetition from becoming stale. The following part is much more in-your-face and aggressive and a great addition to the track. Awesome work.
3. Spoon has a much more bleak introduction, which is really beautiful with some crashing cymbals and sparse chord use, plus feedback giving a really menacing atmosphere. The guitar tone is very warm, the drums are sombre and the whole mix is done really well. This track is much more melancholic, with absolutely haunting vocals and varied guitar from the clean atmospherics to the raunchy chords, all with an underlying bass line which is really droning and gorgeous to listen to. Much more traditional Doom Metal elements are used which I think work very well with the other more “out there” parts of the release, it seems a good idea to touch base with the norm. The growls sound super brutal which is excellent. The song is really catchy and easy to listen to, another great piece of music.
4. Symptom Of The Blacklab is a unique cover of “Symptom Of The Universe” (Black Sabbath) but naturally with the bands own twist on it. It has much more attack than the original and sounds really cool. The fuzzy tones capture the perfect sound of the original but with a much more drone feel to it. I think as far as covers go I personally prefer the Orange Goblin version, but this sounds awesome and is a great nod to the legendary band, although not a full cover, in fact it has no vocals at all.
5. Warm Death creeps in with ambient guitar riffs, thumping drums and heavy chords. This song really punches heavily, a really captivating piece of music from the very beginning. The song is really dismal in the verse with the vocals sounding like a call from the Yūrei and some really driven screams too. The slow tempo and punctuating bass drum with crawling guitars and ghostly vocals sounds both beautiful and actually kind of creepy. The guitar solo has Toni Iommi’s influence all over it and sounds wicked! The tempo really speeds up and brings the song into more NWOBHM territory, sounding absolutely killer too. The upbeat pace is a really nice change in style and shows the duo are able to diversify their songwriting skills even during a single piece of music. A really well executed piece that is incredible to listen to.
6. His Name Is… comes in with melody yet chaos and some amazing songwriting once more. Another song that required no introduction, deciding to cut to the chase once more. The verse goes into a more upbeat territory once more, really blasting through the riffs nicely. The song has a much more typical Stoner Metal format than the others but that is not necessarily a bad thing, it is catchy and fun to listen to with a really unique use of different time signatures. Not my personal favourite from the album, but still pretty good work.
7. Fall And Rise goes back to the more typically doomy dragging guitar riffs, slow drums and drawn out singing. The song sounds really wonderful and the production is fantastic. I think the band perform this more classic style of Doom Metal really well and it is certainly their forte. The vocal hooks are really well utilised and give it a haunting melody, make it catchy and soar above the crunchy guitar riffs and pounding drums. Absolutely awesome work, and probably my favourite song on the album. The sludgy riffs, upbeat sections, use of growls and chaotic ending gives this song tons of different things to love about it.
8. Big Muff has the job of closing the album, it is a bold move, with no drums, just crunchy guitar playing. It sounds awesome, and I love that the title is named after the classic distortion effects pedal. The really nasty fuzz is amazing to listen to and really shook the room. I really must respect the different way of ending an album and really enjoyed this piece of music. Great stuff, once more.

Japan is a country in any area of entertainment (movies, TV, music, anything really) who are known for their unique and eccentric approach to things, something I think is a really valuable and special attribute. This release is no different, it really is a fascinating listen and worth checking out for all the Doom/Stoner Metal fans out there! An excellent and really easy to enjoy release, that gains the listeners respect from the very beginning. -8/10