Album Review: Greenleaf – The Head & The Habit
Reviewed by Lana Teramae
Greenleaf are a desert / stoner rock band formed by guitarist Tommi Holappa, co-founder of European desert rock band Dozer. Starting out as a side project, they eventually transformed into a riff-roaring and seriously driven rock band. Thanks to their consistently tight live performances and hard work ethic, Greenleaf became one of the most prolific acts to come out of the European heavy rock scene. Their latest studio album, ‘The Head & The Habit’ (2024), follows up their previous release, ‘Echoes from a Mass’ (2021). The former marks Greenleaf’s third album with their current lineup, which consists of Holappa on guitars, Arvid Hällagård on lead vocals, Sebastian Olsson on drums, and Hans Fröhlich on bass guitar.
“Breathe, Breathe Out,” is a banging, boogie woogie tune, thanks to Olsson’s rhythmic groove and Hollapa’s fuzz overloaded riff. What an excellent way to kick off the album. “Avalanche” has an underground toughness to it that combines stoner rock with little bits of doom metal, highlighted by the monstrous, mid-paced middle section. The guitars sound meaty and raunchy, with just the right amount of distortion. “A Wolf in My Mind” is a psychedelic-based track with a thumping bass line and a tour-de-force beat from Olsson.
Greenleaf also dips into the blues with “That Obsidian Grin,” a criminally short track that shows off Hällagård’s diversity as an artist and his incredible rasp. “Oh Dandelion” goes in a more old-school direction with some classic rock. The song’s laid-back and tasteful groove allows the band to let loose and strut their stuff. “The Tricking Tree” is an eight minute epic that again sees Greenleaf experimenting with blues rock and doom metal. Holappa’s soulful guitar playing creates an atmospheric vibe that has the power to leave listeners in a trance.
As hinted earlier, there’s an underground vibe to ‘The Head & The Habit’ and the raw production, especially for the drums, contributes to that. Not very commercial or radio-friendly, but the musicianship and experimentation are worth exploring further. In simplest words, ‘The Head & The Habit’ is a blast-through-the speakers, kick back, and have a nice beverage (for those that don’t drink) sort of album. It’ll be released on June 21, 2024 through Magnetic Eye Records.
