They Watch Us From the Moon! - "Cosmic Chronicles: Act 1, The Ascension"
If Alice in Chains did Sci-Fi
Of course a band hailing from Kansas is going to be writing music about aliens. Something-something crop circles?
They Watch Us From the Moon (TWUFtM) are billed as Doom Metal and Heavy Psych. This mix comes across incredibly grungy. And the vocal lines (there are two female vocalists, and both guitarists also do backing vocals) are often playing on these close, tight harmonies with one of the vocalists on flats, so there are moments where it legitimately sounds like Alice in Chains. “Mother of All Bastards” is likely the most AiC-sounding song (and, honestly, probably my favorite track on the album).
The band refers to their female vocalists as “Space Angels”,1 which is also the title of the second track (albeit in singular form). While I can’t find lyrics anywhere yet, “Space Angel” feels like an ode to a heroine, like Captain Marvel. It’s also the most “upbeat” track present.2
And yes, every track is “most” something - there are only five tracks on the album, but the overall runtime is still 43 minutes. The shortest, “Mother of All Bastards”, clocks in at 6:24. But despite these long playtimes, the songs still frequently feel over too soon.
Honestly, after the first three songs, on the first listen, I was already thinking this album would be a Top 40 contender.
However…
The last two tracks on the album are the two longest, accounting for about half of the playtime. And they’re both excellent, except:
“Creeper A.D.” becomes incredibly repetitive for the last two minutes of its run, making it hard to listen to all the way through
“Return to Earth”, likewise, suffers from too much repetition, but it starts at about the four minute mark, and several lines repeat throughout, but it’s the titular line that becomes egregious.
And, yes, repetition is present in the first three songs, as well, but isn’t as noticeable or quite as bad. And it’s unfortunate, because they’re both still very good, but ultimately hard to listen to.
But this is TWUFtM’s debut album. It’s highly unlikely it would be perfect, and it’s still an incredible first outing. I’ll definitely be watching for them in the future.
Rating: Green
And their names are Luna Nemesis and Nova 10101001; the rest of the band’s names are:
The General Shane Thirteen (Guitar and Vocals)
Adryon Prahktaur (Drums)
Zakkatron (Bass)
R. Benjamin Black (Lead Guitar and Vocals)
It’s still Doom and Psychedelic; it’s not really upbeat, it just has a little more energy than the others.