Heezer - Stereolith

Rock’n’roll is dead, long live rock’n’roll. I may have said those words before, or at least one of my colleagues almost certainly has, because people have been predicting the death of rock for a very long time. Longer than I care to remember. And yet, every now and then, something promising pops up to remind us of the magic of riff-driven guitar music without actually being metal.

This time, the focus turns to South Karelia, where someone apparently got the idea of starting a rock band sometime towards the end of 2020. It’s easy enough to understand: the COVID years were a frustrating time for many musicians. There was plenty of time for new projects.

Now, six years later, we have Heezer’s reportedly second full-length, Stereolith, which rocks nicely and brings various connections to mind. The vocals give me flashes of ZZ Top, while the music as a whole occasionally reminds me of grunge. At the same time, Heezer is neither.

Still, if listening to this makes you grow a moustache and crave a beer, something must have been done right. The sound is pleasantly heavy and well-defined, but above all, it supports this kind of music perfectly. The hoarse, bleating vocals deserve a special mention as well. They sound familiar yet fresh, without being excessively raspy or annoyingly sugary.

As for the songs themselves, Stereolith has just the right amount of stoner flavor without actually becoming metal. There is enough energy here to keep you from easily falling asleep, though. It is an enjoyable listen, even if it could use a little more memorability. The end result is pretty good, just not quite great yet.

Tracklist:
1. Horse
2. This Town
3. Stone I Am
4. Let It Burn
5. Moonshine
6. Mountain
7. Crazy
8. The Van
9. Desert

https://heezerband.wordpress.com/
https://heezer.bandcamp.com/