Amplified is a weekly column focusing on new and emerging artists. Got a band that fits the bill? Email amplified@metalinsider.net.
What better time for stoner rock than winter? With people moving seemingly in slow-motion, and the skies threatening to dump snow down on Metal Insider HQ at any moment, riffs of the “low n’ slow” variety are the order of the day. This week is Melbourne, Australia’s Olmeg, who in their own words are on “the never-ending search for the big riff.” If there’s one thing we like here, it’s “the big riff,” so that sounds pretty good in itself; but their debut record, Primordial Soup, takes that search into plenty of other musical territory as well. While tracks like “Megalomaniac” are stomping, fuzzed out stoner rock grooves, “Nest” isn’t afraid to open up with an extended jam, diving into full-on swirling psychedelia in spots. Despite these divergences into some more introspective moments, Olmeg rocks first, and there’s a lot more of that on Primordial Soup than anything else; carrying themselves with a sense of momentum and liveliness that’s pretty uncharacteristic of most stoner bands. They’re not the soundtrack to your seasonal depression, they’d rather you get over it by throwing a kegger.
Stream Primordial Soup below, buy it if you like it, and keep an eye out for what these guys do next!
