Celladoor "Smelling Salts" EP

Celladoor is one of the most unique grunge bands Ive had the pleasure of listening to, and I use the term grunge very loosely because what Celladoor has created is a very unique and odd style of music that is very hard to label due to its vast originality. This is the second EP I've reviewed for Celladoor and after listening to the previous album "Swamp Lobster" I had extremely high expectations to say the least. I can honestly say after listening to the album that all of my expectations have been shattered. The unique style of music that I have grown accustomed to listening too from this odd and talented individual has transcended into his new album. That being said though even though there are some similarities in sound "Smelling Salts" definitely has its differences keeping his fan base interested and guessing in what is a great follow up album.

The first song on the album is entitled "Beside Erebus" and this has quite possibly my favourite intro out of all the songs on the EP, its rough and aggressive and reminds me of early nineties grunge. While the song definitely will have you bang your head, for some reason it still gives off a distinct psychedelic vibe that put me into a cloudy state as my mind wandered into the abyss. If you had any hold on reality that leaves when Aaron James Davies trippy, raspy vocals cut into the song adding in the final ingredient that puts anyone into a catatonic cocoon of rock.

The second song that I really loved was called "My Only Friend The Wraith" the eery start reminds me of early Manson with the off beat guitar intros and uneasy feeling. Then we really get into the thick of it as the music begins to take hold, the merciless off beat two kick beat adds an entirely new level of aggression to the song. The vocals are raw in this track and we can really hear the pain making its way into the song helping us connect better with the band. Then we go for a 180 as the entire chemistry of the song changes and we are now listening to a power metal verse and the soft yet disturbing stretched out vocals. This song is a great kick back to the early Deftones days when the songs would change pace with the drop of a hat.

After which the track "Before The Sun" takes on a  completely different style and I can't even compare this song to any genre or band that I've heard of. The music will have to speak for itself because all I can say about this song, is that "Before The Sun" is amazing and some how works in perfectly with the heavy and aggressive tracks that come before it on the album. But just as you get comfortable in your seat drifting off to the sweet sounds of this heavenly rock a curve ball is thrown and a hateful riff shreds into you melting your face and sending you into a temporary state of panic as you try to figure out how in gods name this music changes on a dime yet doesn't loose the individual value of each track.

The last song that caught my attention and the album closer is entitled "Drugs Test," this song will most likely give me nightmares for a few days. The intro to this track is raw evil and it is sure to send chills down your spine. This song definitely has a heavy feel to it but doesn't loose the psychedelic vibe that we've grown to love and expect from Celladoor.

I would highly recommend this album and any other Celladoor albums as Ive said before the music definitely is original and every time I listen to this unique and distinct sound I can't help but wonder if twenty years from now Celladoor will be our generations Nirvana. Thanks a lot for reading and I hope you enjoyed the article.

Link To Smelling Salts ----->   http://celladoor.bandcamp.com/album/smelling-salts

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Eric Snelling