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Bongzilla > Amerijuanican > Reviews
Bongzilla - Amerijuanican

“We So Proudly Inhale The Bowls Last Burning!!!!!” - 87%

Desiple_of_The_Ice25, December 3rd, 2006

Bongzilla was probably the very first stoner metal band, let alone stoner/sludge metal band that I have ever listened to. As well, Amerijuanican was really the album of theirs that I first got into. The feel of this album is purely raw, and downright the kind of stuff you wanna listen to when hotboxing your room. I know I do! Unfortunately what really sucks about this album is that there’s not a whole lot of originality in the riffs, and as well, at times it sounds like you’re hearing the same song over again.

Not to worry, it’s still a great album, and it just has a great flow to it which is probably one of the reasons why I love this album like I do, even if it’s not the greatest one out there. I don’t always favor the best, but I favor what does it for me, and this one did. Some may find this to be boring, and some may find it to be great, or even just good. It’s all a matter of opinion. The opening song “Amerijuanican” is a definite great track and an even better way to start off the album. I love how they base the lyrics from the star spangled banner and made it sound even better. Kash Under Glass is cool, but isn’t anything new. Throughout the album, up until my favorite track, Stonesphere, you get really only a couple glimpses of absolute greatness (in my point of view anyway) but overall some damn fine goodies. Weedy Woman I thought was probably the downside in a way.

Stonesphere is a nice instrumental track, well, instrumental if you don’t include the recording of the guys passing around the bong/bubbler and coughing out their lungs, which I felt helped give the album sort of it’s haze sort of feel to it, which with the raw production and dirtiness of the amps mixed with the psychedelic riffs give this the perfect hotbox haze. Exactly what I love, and I personally never thought that any stoner metal band would ever bring that feel the way these guys did with this. Probably that’s the reason why I love this album as much as I do

Though you’re probably not missing too much, I definitely do love this even if it’s not the greatest, and nor does it have to be which makes it even better in the respect that their being totally honest in delivering something fresh, raw, and downright, in many respects atmosphere.

Another high-quality stoner/doom metal offering - 83%

hermanator05, February 17th, 2006

Bongzilla return with a release not too far removed from their last full-length, Gateway (except those opening samples are absent), but hey, nothing wrong with that. People need to stop bitching when bands decide to demonstrate consistency by releasing killer but similar albums throughout the course of their career. Unless the band's formula sucks, there's no reason for dissatisfaction, and of course Bongzilla is on top of their fucking game here. Distorted, fuzzy and sludgy doom metal is the order of the day and this album just can't dissapoint.

Highlights include the title-track with its plodding opening riff that soon develops into a heavy-as-fuck monstrosity, still managing to be catchy though. "Stonesphere" is a twelve-minute stoner metal instrumental that has a pretty tripped-out middle section coupled with the band's signature catchy but heavy riffing. Also, the closing track, the Muddy Waters cover, deserves special mention because the band really managed to make the song their own. Everything else here is good enough; no filler on this album.

The guitars, as previously mentioned, mostly adhere to catchy, Sabbath-influenced melodies, but occasionally slow down for some fucking heavy dirge-like moments very much in the vain of Electric Wizard. Check out "Cutdown" for the best example of that. The drumming is also well-done. Some slow but well-performed fills and interesting beats are utilized to keep things interesting, and they do just that. And the vocals. Well, the vocals are mostly hoarse growls, but I personally believe they work remarkably well with this kind of music. They're not pretty, but if you're looking for pretty music, you're probably barking up the wrong tree with doom metal - and metal, in general - to begin with. Sludge metal is meant to be oppresively heavy. This obviously doesn't dissapoint. One of the best stoner/doom releases of 2005; get ahold of it.

Here we go again (bong rip) - 80%

purerockfury, November 1st, 2005

What can be said about 'Amerijuanican' that hasn't been said about past Bongzilla albums? Indeed is does rock, but offers nothing new to display the band's progress. Once again the Wisconson doomsters shell out six originals and a Muddy Waters tune (a popular musician for doom band's this year). With the induction of Weedeater's Dixie one would think having him do some vocals would make the songs a little more interesting, but loe and behold it does not happen. But in the end who can complain about this album? Rythmically it's a little more interesting, that's where Dixie and Magma really shine on the album, and the tone perfectly heavy as always. No stand out tracks here, this album is a solid one. Bongzilla once again delivers a mammoth slab of heaviness that does not dissapoint.

Dooood... - 90%

Osgilliath, October 5th, 2005

Bongzilla is back!

The leading band in the sludge/stoner scene returns with another amazingly crushing, but wildly groovy release. The riffs are just a bit less fuzzy and sludgy than before (not necessarily bad), but this time around, they throw Black Sabbath-esque groove solos into the mix, as well as cut down on the vocals. This allows for your head to bob involuntarily pretty much throughout the whole thing and it makes the album a whole lot more memorable when you sit back and absorb the fantastic riffing. The drumming is much more spot on this time too; funky, jazzy beats in the slower/softer parts, while the standard 4/4 blasting shines through where it needs to. The band has clearly re-defined their sound with a excellent release; a must have for anyone wanting to get into this fantastic genre known as sludge.