www.maelstrom.nu
review by: Joshua

Ever hear the one about the Hungarian rock band with a sense of humour? Me neither, but Stereochrist are here to set the record straight, by damn.
– Hungarian? Check. The boys hail from that hotbed of a scene known as Budapest
– Rawk? Ten heaping helpings right here for the taking.
– Humour? Dead River Blues gives us the gloriously titled "Christ Was An Angry Man." And lest we forget: the band is named Stereochrist...!
This is no joke band though, Stereochrist present a selection of muscular, stoner-ish songs that conjure up a more rigid Spirit Caravan mixed with a less doomy Trouble. Most of the tracks here are groovy, mid-temp romps that'll elicit some manner of foot tapping, head shaking and steering wheel pounding should you have the foresight to toss this on while barreling down the highway of your choice.
Since we're now in the mind of highways, cruise on over to track eight, "All Along the River," a virtual rewrite of "Highway Star." This is where Stereochrist tip their hand, as the entire album evokes repeated references to Machine Head-era Deep Purple minus Ian Gillan's inimitable yelping. Certainly not a bad thing but does showcase the band's one weakness, singer Felfoldi Peter. The guy's got a decent set of tonsils, coming across as a less dynamic version of Spice of Spiritual Beggars/Mushroom River Band fame, there's just nothing distancing him from the rest of the herd; he's the ideal poster boy for stoner rock vocals 101.
To be fair, this is Stereochrist's inaugural album. The songwriting chops are already here. A pinch of inspiration in the vocal department will be enough to easily lift them out of the second tier.
(6.75/10)

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