Thrones, prophets, deathly orchids, kings, the beast of the sea and a chalice. Just some of the references crammed into Charge Group’s opening track. No, it’s not stoner rock and yes, they are serious.
The record’s flavour may appeal to current tastes for fantasy a la Game of Thrones but its medieval bombast – cooked up, perplexingly, by four guys from sunny Sydney – overpowers what is otherwise atmospheric, spacious and well-crafted post-rock belted out with passion and proficiency. Fans of Mogwai, Art of Fighting and The Dirty Three may choose to overlook clichéd couplets like ‘pain’ and ‘rain’ but lyrical purists will find such rhymes further loosening the band’s grip on authenticity. Problematic, when you get the feeling authenticity is exactly what Charge Group is aiming for.
[rating:2.5]
***
