A few weeks, I tweeted the below tweet:
I'm a simple man: big riff, loud kick, rumbling bass, lyrics about a guy with a sword in a desert on a faraway planet. Simple.
— camelCaseEnjoyer (@tallesteden) January 25, 2023
Back then, no one knew which album I was listening to but my description resonated with a few readers in any case (yes, those are a lot of interactions for little old me). I guess the people just want tracks with big riffs, loud kick drums, rumbling bass, and lyrics about a be-sworded guy currently wrestling with some sand and by Jove, I am set to provide that want! Allow me to present Pelegrin, a stoner rock/metal banf from France (and if you've been following my writing, you know that France has the best damn stoner scene on the planet). They play the kind of tripped out, psychedelic, and massive stoner music that I am a huge fan of and they do it all with an irresistible degree of class, subtlety, and, most importantly, heaps of passion.
"Madrassa", which opens the album, has to be my favorite track of 2023 yet. The evocative opening guitar line, the dreamy vocals which chase it, the irrestiblty classic beat of the main riff, and the grumbling bass all come together to set this album off to an incredibly high note. Elsewhere on the album, longer tracks like "Reach For the Sun" and "Mystical Appear" expand the canvas, doubling down on the psychedelic underpinnings of the band. These present more drawn out, unspooling compositions, calling to mind the desert and its sand filled dunes. However, even in these lengthier explorations, the groove is always the heart of Pelegrin, driving the tracks forward with punchy riffs and even punchier percussion, always moving things forward. Just tune in to the outro of the latter track to exprience the majesty of Pelegrin's heavier moments.
The end result is an album that's a joy to listen to for dynamics, movement, and momentum, and also one which you can let your mind wander to. It runs that psychedelic gamut, between exploration and groove, incredibly well, relying on the band's excellent compositional skills and charming vocals to carry the day. In short, it's yet another phenomenal stoner album from France, a true joy for us here in the beginning of the year. My advice is to turn off the light, pour yourself a drink or light up a joint, and just let the album carry you away.