Ditch – The Traveler

 

 

Ditch – The Traveler
Dark Skies Coming – 2025
Rock, Stoner
Rated: ****

There are those albums that seem to be in two minds about the direction they want to take. Unsure if they should follow their forte, do it all differently or go for the gusto. But that last route, is the new Ditch album The Traveler in tenfold. All of it! It boldly goes wherever adventure takes it. And for the most part, it goes the way of the ancestral stonerrock way, blistering hot, sun bleached sand ridden and dusted. Hints of metal, a bit of grunge, and a touch of prog do linger on its path, but The Traveler navigates around and through them like an expert. It’s been eleven years since their full-sized debut Boco Do Inferno was released. A wild ride that was, which did seem part ways with the drummer and vocalist a few years later. The current line-up, a trio now, still includes Eric Hazebroek on guitar and Douwe de Wilde as bassist and vocalist from the first incarnation. And still includes drummer Alexander de Goede, with whom they already released that Cold-Foot Alaska EP some four  years ago. So, I reckon the boys know exactly what they are doing and how they want to do it. Going about it meticulously and with final destinations in mind.

The Traveler opens with a barrage of stoner rock tracks, you can feel the desert and the fuzz as Jabba’s guitar color sets the scene; the riffs take control and the crunching bass rattles. Jabba? Indeed! Does Ditch, with their album title, already allude to the musician and storyteller, the Traveler, also known as Fox or Idzuna from the Star Wars universe? Cause there are more Star Wars themed titles and lyrics to be found on the album. Either way, there might be a moment here and there when the lyrics feel a bit wookiee, err wonky. Those moments are beautifully offset by brilliant lines in tracks like Everyone I know,  Year Of The Pig, The Bloody 9 and Broncola. It might also be because vocalist Douwe de Wilde might sound a bit less confident here or there, or because he has a different kind of timbre and pitch than usually the case with stoner rock. It is highly different compared to the vocalist on their debut Boca Do Inferno. Either way, it definitely keeps your ears peaked! There are a few background vocals by one Luuk Penterman from Sugartoosh and Premium & Marjan Welman from Autumn and Vetrar Draugurinn, and those are hitting the sweet spot. Especially on Year Of The Pig. One of the prize songs on the album. But Ditch manages to find them often, those sweet spots, either with atmospheric guitar off shoots, clomping drums and motoring bass work. Or with paying homage to the stonerrock of yore. By name or riff. It makes the new Ditch album an easy go-to record for the road, under the Desert Sun, or while mowing the lawn… Instead of Kyuss, putting Ditch on loud..

(Written by JK)

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