Santa Planta - Santa Planta

 

 

Santa Planta - Santa Planta
Loneravn Records - May 2021
Doom, stoner, psych
Rated: ****

Formed in 2018 in Madrid, Spain, three-piece Santa Planta released their debut self-titled EP earlier this month, and it's been worth the wait. Taking cues from the hypnotic nod of Sleep and Sabbath bounce, Santa Planta deliver a sprawling, massively heavy debut across three epic tracks, the shortest by a long shot being just under six minutes. The slow, plodding groove and crunching fuzz are all there, and Santa Planta bring it to a new level with patience and a thunderous reward. Instrumental opener "Judas Goat" is epic, psychedelic doom echoing out over guttural bass and snappy but powerful drumming. The riffs are thick and slow as molasses, lumbering forward until a minimal psych solo eases in with feel good vibes. Follow-up "Overture" injects some aggro into thrmix, the filthy guitar tones laying down some crush 'n roll. Vocals make a sparse but powerful first appearance with lone, booming, single-syllable shouts, hammering down with the beat in the style of Pod People. The tempo eventually kicks up a notch with galloping bass and a winding riff overtop, adding some spice to the slugfest. Closer "Witches" is by far the longest track at thirteen minutes, and never outstays its welcome. The plodding waves and of distortion are hypnotic but somehow bounce at the same time, and echoing group vocals overtop seal the deal. Halfway through comes a significant shift to bright, shimmering guitar, a peaceful interlude that contrasts powerfully with the stomping low end that's never far behind. Santa Planta have delivered a mammoth slab of psychedelic doom on their first outing, impressive in both its scope and the spot on feel of the groove. These Spaniards are a crew to keep one hazy eye open for.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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