Saturday, September 23, 2023

Rapid Fire Reviews: Nebula

Nebula is a stoner/heavy psych power trio that was formed in 1997 by two members from desert rock pioneers Fu Manchu. The band’s been active for the most part, going through a ten-year hiatus between 2009 and 2019, but they’ve released two albums since their return. They’ll be unleashing a new live LP titled Livewired in Europe on October 27th via Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

Truth be told, Nebula has always sounded a little too stoner/grungy for my taste. I like their music, but I don’t find it’s anything memorable. While I recognize that singer/guitarist Eddie Glass is craftier than most stoner rock guitarists, Nebula just never really got my full attention. Well, they did with the one record in their discography that sounds the most unique to me: Heavy Psych in 2009. I really love that album, it’s by far my favourite Nebula LP. I have to admit that I did enjoy their 2019 comeback record, Holy Shit, more than I thought I would. However, last year’s Transmission from Mothership Earth didn’t really do anything for me apart from a couple of songs I liked. Is this new live album worth listening to? Absolutely. More so for fans of the band, but non-fans as well, I think, will find something to like here. It gives this particular collection of songs a second lease on life and the renditions of the three tracks that represent Transmission from Mothership Earth sound even better than on their studio counterpart, in my humble opinion.

Nebula is legendary among stoner rock music fans and those listeners will love what’s on display here. Fans of live albums like myself will appreciate the craftsmanship of what this very talented band has to offer in a live setting. At times channeling Jimi Hendrix, Alice in Chains, Fu Manchu, and Sleep, Livewired in Europe is a perfect storm of a concert LP. Twelve tracks that span the band’s entire career: a terrific snapshot of how great they sound as live performers. The sound quality is nothing short of stellar and you can clearly hear every bit of the distorted guitar, throbbing bass, and pulse-pounding drums. Put your headphones on, sit back, and get ready for a fuzzy cosmic trip you won’t soon forget.  

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Bandcamp page for Nebula: https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nebula-livewired-in-europe 

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