North Carolina, USA, has brought us Viajando,a power trio that brings to the fore some colossal riffing and some rocking stoner doom tunes on their first proper release, ‘Counting Days’. A soulful croon, some bluesy power riffs and a dusty, deserty feel gives ‘Counting Days’ a good start.
The title track gets us off to a fair galloping start, with vocalist Taylor showcasing his pipes. It’s uber melodic, but with a heavy low end. The rumble intensifies with the brooding ‘Nothing is Sacred’, where dashes of Kylesa appear. Viajando share common ground with some of their more Southern brethren, with some shimmering psychedelic parts and an intense groove in ‘Hell’s Pit’.
I burnt myself out on the whole stoner rock/doom scene a few months ago by hearing too many bands that sounded the same. Yeah, maybe expecting the genre to show some type of forward motion is naive but at least challenge me. Viajando are drawing me back in. They’ve got a good sense of the groove required, the ‘feel’ of writing honest stoner rock songs that don’t overstay their welcome, that don’t just riff without substance. ‘Rogue’ is one of my most played songs of the past few days. I love the melody, I love the vocals and I love the riffs. Maybe this is my way back in…
Viajando aren’t rewriting the rule book, but they’re playing music with a bit of heart, a bit of soul and a whole lot of heavy. They’ll never win awards, but fuck me if ‘Counting Days’ isn’t just a good fucking record. Sometimes its all you need.
BANDCAMP: https://viajando.bandcamp.com/album/counting-days-ep
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/VIAJANDOBAND
The Killchain 