Stoner metal is usually a genre known for its lengthy, repetitively undulating soundscapes. So, naturally, a simple way to put a fresh twist on the style would be a release of several short bursts of stoner energy. It seems kind of obvious in retrospect, yet it seems Grin are one of the few bands to actually put this idea into practice.
Hush is the fourth studio album of the German duo Sabee Oberg and Jan Oberg. They play a very enjoyable style of stoner with some more sludge-like dissonance sprinkled in. The vocals alternate between ghostly whisperings and harsher, more menacing rasps as they trickle in through the dense walls of guitar distortion. At least, I presume they're guitars. Sabee Oberg is responsible for the groovy bass-work, while Jan Oberg is officially credited with drums, vocals, and… “noise”. Now, whether that means electronic fabrication or primordial rumblings from subterranean nameless things, Grin have definitely gotten that minimum stoner criteria down: a fuzzy sound to please any fan of the stoner genre.
As Jan Oberg provided guest vocals on fellow German band Daevar’s 2023 debut album, Caspar Orfgen of Daevar seems to be returning the favor, providing an eerie guitar solo on the song “Portal”. Besides the extremely thick layers of fuzz blanketing the listener in an entertaining psychedelic atmosphere, the main facet that sets this album apart is the aforementioned concise song structure.
A clear benefit of the short songs is that one never gets the feeling that a certain riff overstays its welcome (a common and easy mistake for many stoner bands). Plus, these quick bursts of melodies add a drive to the album that keeps the listener fully engaged for its entire runtime. I promise you, turn Hush on, and you won't realize how quickly those 40 minutes fly by until it's suddenly over.
In conclusion, there are no real drawbacks I can spot on this record. Sure, it's hard to be innovative in the stoner genre, but that comes with the territory. The format of several short songs is an extremely simple yet quite appealing idea, and I'd like to see more bands try this method. In the end, one can't deny that Grin have delivered here a very enjoyable release with groovy hooks, pleasant vocals, and all guided by viscous waves of sonic heaviness.
