New Band: Beehoover

If System of A Down would chill out a bit - but still keep their wacky music and lyrics - you'd have Beehoover. The vocalist has a similar sound to Serj Tankian, and although I can't understand all the lyrics very well, the bits I can are pretty out there. Their music falls well within the stoner metal sound, but incorporates a slight progressive element as well; lots of changes of tempos and sounds cut into each other. This band is something very interesting.

Their first album, The Sun Behind The Dustbin, starts off kind of dull and expectant - I was not impressed, and was not looking forward to finishing this album and their second release. But by the forth or fifth track things began to turn around. The interesting lyrics and a faster-paced sound emerged, and besides a couple of throw-away tracks towards the end, the rest of the disc was pretty damn good.

Heavy Zooo (not a type-o, 3 o's), their next album, picks up where The Sun Behind The Dustbin left off - the songs are more upbeat, and are tad experimental (just a smidgen). The songs are shorter on average, and are heavier as the album progresses. The second half of the album also slows down, not quite to earn a doom label, but it is a little more laid back then the tracks before, the summation of this is the 3rd-to-last.track "I Desert," but it picks back up again for the next track, "Dance Like A Volcano." I really like Heavy Zooo, much more then its predecessor, the sound is much more constant and flowing.

Beehoover, as the name might suggest, is one of the more odd stoner bands I have heard in a while. The songs are eclectic - both in sound and meaning - but are all grooving. Playing the line between straight stoner and sludge, this band shows what it is like to live between worlds. An interesting band and an interesting sound, Beehoover is an intriguing project.