One of these days I really should get to properly documenting my thoughts on and explorations of the French stoner/doom/post-metal scene. But it is not this day; here, it will suffice me to remind you that if you’re after some of the best, lowest, fuzziest, grooviest, and slowest types of metal, you need look no further than France. There are a host of amazing bands of the sort working there and one of the best ones are Stone From the Sky. In fact, it is through them that I discovered the scene, as I fell in love with their magnificently named album, Fuck the Sun, and started to explore around them. Which is why I am extremely honored to premiere “Le Squinfus”, a single from their upcoming album Songs From the Deepwater. It continues the band’s penchant for dreamy and evocative music but dials up the heaviness several notches, amplifying the post-metal influences that have always hovered in the background of the band’s music. Head on down below for your first taste and I’ll see you after.
I absolutely adore this track (and the entire album, by the way). Stone From the Sky have always prefered broad, dramatic sorts of soundscapes, channeling plenty of psychedelia into their music. But there was also always this edge to them, manifesting in heavier, post-metal adjacent passages. Well, “Le Squinfus” is a shorter track, positioned around one of those heavier passages. In fact, I think it’s Stone From the Sky’s heaviest and most direct track to date and it works extremely well. The band take care to still infuse the sound with their signature touch, most evident on the opening guitar and drum lines. But once everything crashes, loud cymbals and crushing, echoing bass leading the way, those more psychedelic guitars fall in line to produce an absolutely monstrously groovy riff. The end result is a very forward and momentum driven track, a perfect taste of the album’s direction for the band.
And, indeed, Songs From the Deepwater has many more such heavier passages. Don’t get me wrong, it also has Stone From the Sky’s passion for taking their time and slowly unspooling atmosphere. But what you hear on “Le Squinfus” is not an isolated incident, doomier passages replete through the work. Songs From the Deepwater releases on November 5th and you can pre-order it right from the band’s Bandcamp page.