Stoned Diplodocus - 2017 - Ante Mortem

(54:02; L'étourneur / Big Owl Records / Atypeek Music)

Track list:
1. Sun Song 14:12
2. Modus Operandi 14:59
3. Bad Pills 12:09
4. Chant du Cygne 12:42

Line-up:
Anthony Retaille  guitars, vocals
Armel Sfaxi - guitars
Robin Dufour - drums


Prolusion.
French band Stoned Diplodocus appears to have formed sometime around 2014. Or at least that was the year when they decided to have a presence on social media platforms. They released a demo the following year, and in 2016 they were ready with their self-titled debut album. "Ante Mortem" is their second studio album, and was released through a small handful of niche labels back in 2017.

Analysis.
Stoned Diplodocus are among those bands where one can question if they are experimental, progressive or both. What can be stated with a fair degree of credibility is that their compositions are unconventional, and on a few different levels at that. I also get the impression that they aren't all that concerned with residing inside of any set traditions or genre conventions.

A defining feature of this album, or at least a dominant presence, is noise rock. Twisted and distorted guitar sounds of various kinds pop up in all of the four long songs that makes up this album, with the jarring and chaotic resonances that come when the electric guitar is being used in a more expressive manner for a little bit of a sonic attack and assault.

The band explore these sounds in some interesting settings however. Psychedelic rock traits of a gentler as well as a more powerful nature are ongoing traits as well, with most of the songs featuring some type of cosmic guitar effect or other. With space rock being if not a defined aspect of this album then at least a sometime distinct presence.

And while one may interpret the band name as a possible reference to stoner rock or stoner metal, to my ears at least doom metal is arguably another vital ingredient in the landscapes explored here. With third track 'Bad Pills' featuring a concluding section that wouldn't have been out of place on one of the earlier albums by Electric Wizard. That we also get songs that include phrasings I associate with both Americana and jazz along the way, both of these possibly or probably being accidental as such, also says a bit about the landscapes explored on this production. While perhaps not progressive in the classic sense of the word, this is an unconventional creation for sure, and music made with what I'd describe as a progressive spirit.

Conclusion.
Stoned Diplodocus may possibly be a dish that is something of an acquired taste. But for those who get it, this is also quite the fascinating experience. Experimental music made with an unconventional approach and execution, pairing off and blending elements of doom metal, psychedelic rock and noise rock into an amalgam that is chaotic and unpredictable yet also quite fascinating. At least from my point of view. An album to seek out for those who enjoy music that exist on a plane that is off kilter and progressive in a bit of an unpredictable and experimental manner.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, October 2024

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063573218540
https://associationletourneur.wordpress.com/
https://www.atypeekmusic.com/