Hypnopilot – Evergreen (Self-Release)
By Jay Snyder
May 29, 2008
Man talk about the perfect summer album. Calgary based trio Hypnopilot are kicking out godly stoner grooves which are a desert baked recipe that know how to pile on the key ingredient of hazy, nuanced riffs reminding me of the deep desert canyons created by the cosmic frequencies of Kyuss.
The vocals of singer/guitarist Matthew Simmons are smooth and soulful croons occupying a nice middle range; pleasing to the ear on every listen. So, more low register than Garcia (not a Garcia knock folks, love the man) and more in the vein of Kyle Thomas during the Floodgate days (man do I miss those guys) but also smoothed out an extra layer and with less dirty grit. You see what I mean?
I think even Magnified Eye who I recently got into are a good reference point to figure out where Hypnopilot are coming from. I’m all over this stuff as each tune is chockfull of top tier riffs nary striking a boring moment with the rhythm section fleshing the material out into truly deep waters.
You better have some serious bravado to kick off your debut full-length record with a song titled “Mountain”, because whether you're referencing the geographic structure or the classic 70’s rockers, you’ve got quite a big pair of shoes to fill.
Thankfully, Hypnopilot sucks you in with a vortex of trippy stoner riffs and big time boogie that holds a darker undercurrent in the vein of
"Sky Valley" era Kyuss or even a more stoner fueled Tool. Dazzling 70’s tinged riffs trade equal blows with the snazzy and somewhat jazzy rhythm section to create a mouth watering concoction which will be hard to resist even for the jaded fan. I also love the singing through and through as Matt belts out the verses and the choruses with melodic gusto never sounding unsure of its footing.
Tricky, shape-shifter riffs really do wonders with the mood on the immediately following, “Light”; one of those songs managing to balance light and dark gracefully, in the same breath. Dreary, stoner shaded riffs play off tight bass arrangements giving the song a mother load of depth constrasting nicely with the swinging boogie and soaring, vocal lines. I dare you to try and evict the Sabbath-y riff which pops up later in the track from your memory. Easily the equivalent of musical superglue as it had me stuck on the very first listen.
Same goes true with, “The New” which takes the same groove foundation but settles for a more laidback pace and less full throttle rock n’ roll. Riffs spiral off into the sunset and then touch back down on Earth by the twilight. This song is totally spaced out with tight rhythmic turns maintaing a heart pounding groove from start to finish. You may have heard this stuff done before, but I’ll be damned if Hypnopilot doesn’t deliver one high quality riff after another, never losing steam as the record progresses.
The slower, heavier churn of “Into the Sun” stomps along at a more deliberate pace and sounds less spacious than the majority of this material. A bit more oppressive in the verses but interspersed with great, rockin’ riffs throughout in order to keeps thing from becoming one dimensional. Again imagine Tool further expanded with arid stoner rock. Something I can get into anytime when done right and without pretense.
Hypnopilot saves some of their most infectious grooves for the road burning mid-tempo hipshaker, “From Hydrus to Phoenix”. Even the chorus, only consisting of single syllable utterances such as “La La La” and “Yeah, Yeah” somehow manages to stick out strong with the clenched fist groove the band throws down on. Nothing too flashy in this one except better grooves than you could ever expect from an upstart, newer band.
They close things off with “Let it go” and an instrumental boogie reprise in “Prescribed Burn”, both of which are busy, barnburners; throwing loose the hitches getting caught up on a runaway train car ride full of red-blooded stoner rock riffs definitely dipping into the up-tempo swing of Fu Manchu on certain occasions.
You aren’t going to hear me complain about this one. Sure, how many times have you heard the names Fu Manchu and Kyuss thrown helter skelter all over the place? Seriously though, Hypnopilot are doing great things with their sound. By drawing from such contemporaries and adding a few darker yet strangely uplifting touches as well the band manages to rise far above traditional stoner fare. There’s a brooding underbelly to this beast with great song-writing, soaring grooves and powerful vocals helping to make them stand tall in the crowd. If stoner rock n’ roll is what butters your bread, you’d do well to get savvy to Hypnopilot. Surely, they can’t be without a record deal for long.
Evergreen is an excellent disc, well worth your hard earned dollar. Also, just because I don’t flat out say “highly recommended” doesn’t mean it isn’t highly recommended…you dig? So check these guys out if you are the least bit interested in this stuff!
Visit the Hypnopilot website at www.hypnopilot.net
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! If you give 'em listen let me know what you think.
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