Weedeater: Jason . . . the Dragon (2011)

Heavy Week, Part 2

Review

In case you don't already know, or can't tell by the name, North Carolina's Weedeater is a stoner doom band. Jason . . . the Dragon is their fourth full-length, with a not terribly clever (or subtle) name that lends itself to some pretty cool album art. It's my first experience with this band, but they come highly recommended (no pun intended).

Like other stoner doom bands, Weedeater employ an ultra-fuzzy, heavy sound to create slow grooves. It's not as heavy as Electric Wizard, and despite the spoken-word intro (a vague, ominous prophecy), and rasped vocals that sound closer to black metal than most stoner metal, it doesn't have the dark vibe of that group. Instead, it's very southern, evoking a kind of "bad acid trip blues" feel. The southern feel is enhanced by two banjo tracks and a hidden piano track.

The album differs from most stoner doom in that it's barely over a half hour, and the track lengths tend toward 3 minutes instead of 10+. If you combine that with the fact the first five tracks are presented as one continuous song (connected by amp noise), and two songs have previously appeared elsewhere ("Turkey Warlock" and "Long Gone"), it feels more like an EP than a full-length. But it has enough highlights to warrant more than a few listens, with the title track, "Long Gone", and the more upbeat "Mancoon" all standing out.

On the downside, solos are few and far between, and the album is so short (for this style of music) it leaves you wanting more. But I suppose that's much better than draggin' on too long, isn't it? (Pun intended.)

The Verdict: Jason is an enjoyable listen, from a band with a distinct style. You can't go wrong with that, even if it is shorter than I'd like. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.