Review Summary: This is a great album from a very original band which ranges from modern classical music to terrifying heavy metal with a dash of weird.
Over the horizon at dawn comes a floating ominous mass, perpetrated by the state of human society and penetrated by the light of a thousand sunny mornings. This is the picture presented by "A Hymn to the Morning Star," the opening song on Of Natural History, the second album by avant-garde metal pioneers Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Purveying a unique blend of groove/math metal (ala Meshuggah), chromatic classical stylings, and the insanity of Mr. Bungle, this is one of the most original bands you'll probably ever encounter.
Their line-up is interesting with two vocalists, one male and one female, a violinist, electric guitarist, bassist, drummer, and a dude who plays everything from guitar to a toy piano. This is augmented by scores of home-made instruments, including the "Piano Log" - an 8 foot post with bass piano strings and guitar pickups, played with slide and small mallet. Another favorite is the "Percussion Guitar" - a contraption resembling a guitar only superficially. Played horizontally with one drumstick to fret the open-tuned strings and another to strike them, it sounds like a wobly slide guitar from hell. Other instruments include the "Popping Turtle" and a bass harmonica.
This album, released in 2004, is without a doubt one of the strangest things you'll ever hear. After the docile "Hymn to the Morning Star," which evokes comparisons to Frank Sinatra with Nils Frykdahl's low voice and 50's television stylings, we are treated to the pounding metal sluggfest that is "The Donkey Headed Adversary of Humanity Opens the Discussion." This song is a highlight of the album as it ranges from growled metal verses to a Jethro Tull-esque flute jam session. This album could be considered a concept album, dealing with the impact of modern human society on the Earth and its creatures. There are two distinct viewpoints: that of the Freedom Club (aka Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber) and that of the Futurists. Look the up on Wikipedia if you're interested in the philosohpy behind them. "Phthisis" is another highlight with shifting polyrhythmic pounding drums and ethereal female vocals. This transitions directly into "Bring Back the Apocalypse," a jam influenced rhythmic track that evokes comparisons to the aformentioned Meshuggah. Chanted schitzophrenic vocals add a frantic feel.
Next up is the epic "FC: The Freedom Club." This song is basically the philosphies of Theodore Kaczynski in musical form, a rant on the damages that human civilization has caused: "And let us remember that the human race with technology is like an alcholic with a barrel of wine." This song progresses from an atmospheric xylophone verse to full-out metal and back again with a beautiful outro accompanied by samples of crickets chirping. "Gunday's Child" is a strange song (though that's not saying much for this band). I'm not really sure what it's about but it seems to be anti-violence/war. "The 17-Year Cicada" is a rhythmic segue that is lacking of substance but is still an interesting soundscape. The next track is an entertaining one. "The Creature" is a tale of a mystical creature (a personification of government) that has enslaved its people. The lyrics are downright hilarious at times: "They learned to dine on fecal matter so that the creature may grow fatter." "What Shall We Do Without Us?" is a short frantic number with female vocals that ends with a sample of some of the band members talking with some hillbilly.
The last epic on this album, "Babydoctor" is frightening. Beginning with an atmospheric melodic intro which leads into a slow pounding buildup. There are some terrifying chords present in this song that just give me shivers every time I hear them. It's definitely a highlight and has some of the most metal influenced sections on the album. The climax is a pummeling barrage of off-time metal percussion and guitar that culminates in a single striking of a strange droning percussion instrument that fades out into more samples of the band talking with a hillbilly.
The only downside of the album are the last two tracks: "Cockroach" is a short silly broadway influenced song about how terrible cockroaches are. It breaks the mood which "Babydoctor" ends with and doesn't fit on the album at all. It would have been better to end the album immediately after "Babydoctor." The last track is an untitled field recording of the band going gator hunting in a swamp. It's unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the album.
In conclusion, this album is definitely worth picking up if you can stand a little bit of weirdness as well as a small helping of metal. Despite the fact that the last two tracks could count as filler, there is so much awesome material here that it doesn't matter. Look for this band in the future, they have a new album due sometime this summer titled "In Glorious Times".
4.5/5
