Sometimes bands come along shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Information on Tacoma’s own Tummler And Solomon points towards talk of the paranormal and the bizarre following their live showings. Fabricated or truth it is unclear, but what is apparent is that this is a far more engaging side than their music on the showing of their debut.

 

Predominantly You’ve Worn Out Your Welcome (Self-released) has a doom and sludge construct, based on slow, very low toned guitar riffs and a morbid nature. It also has sprinklings of psychedelic nuances, impressively incorporated but without making this any more engaging. The driving force should be its slow and heavy rumblings, but the riffs on display are so one dimensional and repetitive that they are indistinctive from not only most other bands of this ilk, but even from one another. Vocals are reduced to a monotonous and completely inaudible drone, which sounds like they were recorded in a tunnel (perhaps intentional as a failed attempt of adding oddity).

 

Things seem to take a corner in the song writing stakes with ‘Righteous Offering’ and its organ passages but even this proves far too late on the second to last song and still does not help with the album’s far too drawn out duration.

 

It’s of course easy for things to not entirely click in a band’s fledgling stages, but for the most part this not only sounds dull and messy, but also feels almost lazy in its execution. An apt album moniker all things considered.

 

4.0/10.0

Tummler And Solomon on Facebook

 

CHRIS TIPPELL