Album Review: Nebula - Transmission From Mothership Earth
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
Having reunited in 2017, Eddie Glass and Tom Davies recruited drummer Mike Amster and released 2019’s ‘Heavy Shit’. Now album number seven looms large, and true to form, the band transport you on another psychedelic journey full of heady riffs, fuzzed up crusted intergalactic anthems and attitude which basically defies challenge.
Eight tracks over 38 minutes sees the band kick off with the Sabbath drenched riffs of ‘Highwired,’ which demands the roof down, the pedal to the floor and a crazed and wild road trip across those desert plains. Indeed, the album was recorded and produced in the Mojave Desert, so it may be unsurprising that Glass, Davies and Amster have captured the vibes so well.
With titles that amaze, ‘Transmissions from Mothership Earth’ is a release to enjoy. The seven-minute work out on ‘Warzone Speedwulf’ is worthy of indulgence, with the trippy expansive playing shifting through different dimensions and time changes whilst retaining the band’s fluid and organic style. The musical interplay is locked tight, yet loose enough to provide the kind of individuality that one would expect from this outfit.
If you want riffs, they are here in abundance. The title track drips with good times, the spacy feel combined with Glass’s relaxed vocals and searing guitar work which shimmers out of the speakers. There are subtle changes in vibe throughout which merely adds to the enjoyment.
‘I Got so High’ introduces astral effects and comes complete with a Monster Magnet feel. A slow paced, chilled out song that slowly boils into a full-on riff fest with the band kicking out the jams in an MC5 style. It’s a song that demands to be played at volume, deafening small children and irritating older persons at the same time.
Despite the definite old school feel, Nebula manages to bring a distinctly modern style of guitar driven rock which expands the mind. The band are hitting the UK with dates shortly and if you enjoy their unique combination of psychedelia, space rock and even the odd trip to a spaghetti western, then ‘Transmissions from Mothership Earth’ is the album to listen to before heading out to catch them play.
