You Gotta Be Into This to Get It
Here at MXDWN we are not unfamiliar with music of a unique variety. And with the knowledge of marijuana and its tie to society, in groups and music, it is not strange we should get a release from a band dedicated solely to the purpose of promoting its use. So, fire it up (the album of course) sit back and just – take it in man.
Connoisseur is a stoner metal band from Oakland, California. The trio consisting of Dan on guitar, Carlos shouting it out and Lyle beating down on the drums are all self-admitted super stoners with an obsession for jamming out. It’s obvious the jamming is in part actually a side effect of the smoking. Their newest release, Stoner Justice, was funny, not in the sense it was a joke, but in the sense that it was a rock and roll EP of three songs and three sound bites.
Only song one, “Circle of Heads,” and five, “Full Blown Marijuana Addict,” were actually full-length tracks. Songs “Pot Hole,” “The Camper” and “No Dice” were all short tracks or snippets, each less than a minute long. The final track, “I Am the Weed,” is just over a minute and a half of a decent sound style with lyrics consisting of a story about how weed made a man stronger and better.
The term stoner violence is closely associated with this band and their element, so who are we to take that away? Though the stoner element is prevalent on this release, the violence is missed, but maybe we are just missing a little something. There is a doom-y feel here, an almost angry quality to the EP but this would be present if anyone were screaming into the mic. It just seems a bit off the topic of the effect the drug they praise actually does. What happened to easygoing stoners? What happened to the “California Mentality?” Nah, let’s just metal it out, violently.
Overall, if you’re into heavy music and you like weed and bands who sing about heavy weed usage, you’ll like this EP.
Fans of Shrine might take heed to Connoisseur.
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