Bronco - Bronco

Bronco is a doom metal band from North Carolina who have hit the scene hard with their bestial full-length, self-titled debut.    Their metallum page lists them as stoner doom, which I would say is pretty accurate, but this is a far more vicious album than most stoner doom metal bands pull off. 

I absolutely love it when doom bands play a stoner/psych doom with an old school vibe but have extreme, abrasive vocals.  It’s a contrast that I have always found highly engaging.  Bronco takes this approach—thick, fat riffs from a time long gone but with vocals that I could peel paint off the walls.  Love it, love it, love it.  

A lot of the music is trippy as hello too.  I don’t do drugs but if I did, I’d probably feel right at home listening to this.  The opening moments of “Scourge Descent,” is a melodic psychedelic trip down a weird, multi-colored hole.  Then the damn breaks and mountainous riffs drop like a ten ton hammer.  Guitarist Victor and bassist/vocalist Jason Pierce are an insane duo—heavier than the universe.  James' drums are the perfect rhythm machine, giving just as much intensity even while holding this towering beast up.  The song has just enough of a dismal atmosphere without being overly depressing…more of a horrific haze. 

Of course, just because a band is doom, doesn’t mean they can’t up the tempo here and there.  “Light of God” does just that, immediately settling into a mid-paced groove with infectious drumming. That first scream when the vocals rip through is fantastic and the band fires on all cylinders for the entire four minutes.  The riffs after the halfway mark are guaranteed headbanging–when this band is going all out, they are unstoppable. 

“Legion,” pulses and throbs with bass and drums that are a two man wrecking crew.  The riffs are low, slow, and vicious…perfectly complemented by the ghastly vocals.  The song is laced with a lot of kick ass leads and a little psychedelica for good measure. Around the 3:50 mark, a pulsing bass tone and freighting vocals kick off one of the best moments on the album: a total riff fest in riff city on the continent of riff. 

I’m not sure what “T.O.N.S.” is supposed to stand for but I can tell you it’s the approximate weight of this song.  The intro is mind melting, perhaps even a little scary.  These sparse landscapes build up to create what is one of my favorite songs on the album and a fantastic banger to end it all on.  The guitars/bass are palpable but still give plenty of space for the vocals and drums to work their magic. Speaking of vocals, Jason gives his best performance…he sounds truly menacing and dangerous. 

Bronco is a band that has seemingly come out of nowhere and dropped this atomic doom bomb of a self-titled debut.  Any fan of music that rides the lines between the old school and modern extremity needs to check this album out asap.  It’s heavy enough to make extreme metalheads (such as myself) take note and stoner-ish enough to for those who like their doom more laid back and old school to find much to appreciate here.  I predict big things for this band in the future!  

Rating:  Excellent!