Evil Cosmonaut - We Have Landed (FLAC+MP3) - 2011

Formed in Moscow by Alex ‘Kaza’ Kazachev (guitar, vocals), Denis ‘Memphis Dead’ Petrov (bass), and Konstantin Sosnin (drums), Evil Cosmonaut are a stoner-metal/rock band on the excellent RAIG Records label. While the band will get the "stoner rock" tag, this is really just pure bluesy hard rock and boogie in the 70's rock tradition but with a added dose of humor and fun thrown into the mix.

The child-like album artwork tells the story with this band, this is simple, straight-ahead kick-ass rock that is not meant to be taken too seriously and once listened to with that in mind, it is mostly a all-round winner. We Have Landed doesn't break any new ground, nor does it excite with astounding riffage but it is infectious and instantly enjoyable just the same so don't expect too much, just pop open a beer and crank this one up and you should dig what they have to offer.

Now something has to be said about the humor aspect. Maybe it is because of the Russian idea of what is funny and what is not but I don't find anything too amusing here. Lyrics like "Approaching asteroid, Time to call Bruce Willis" as in one of the tracks, 'Armageddon' just sounds too goofy for words so sorry but I don't understand where or if I am meant to laugh. I would have liked the album a lot more if they would have adopted a serious lyrical approach than trying to funny which they are not, really.

With that out of the way, musically, Evil Cosmonaut are highly enjoyable and bursting with energy. There is a lot of fuzz-drenched guitars, bluesy breaks, and pure boogie and catchy grooves. There is also a Black Sabbath inspired edge to most of the tunes so the band is heavy and tight enough to keep it together. Simple drumming and bass lines provide a perfect back-drop to the riff work.

I must point out, Evil Cosmonaut are a simple band and may prove to be too basic for a lot of listeners but there is a certain charm to this simplicity. There are no real stand-out tracks but no real weak ones either as the album is consistently good but 'Boris Yeltsin vs. Giant Ants' tends to stick in my head for its lyrical concept which is preposterous to say the least but memorable. I feel this band has potential to be much better than this. It is almost like they have the skills but the lyrics and concepts seem forced without being amusing. It may be amusing to them but I doubt if anyone else will get the joke. Musically they do rock hard however and for that alone are worth checking out....7/10.

Musicians:

Guitar, cocals - Alex Kaza
Bass, vocals - Memphis Dead
Drums - Sosnin

All songs by Evil Cosmonaut
Recorded at the FmDivision and Red Gates Studios
Mixed and mastered by Alexander "Shmel" Shvilev
Plasticine modeling by EC, Pavel Beard, and Garish

Track List:

01. Old Guy Neil [2:06]
02. Marvin [4:47]
03. Big Super Mega Monsters [2:23]
04. The Song We Will Never Play Again [7:34]
05. Armageddon [5:22]
06. My Moustache [4:26]
07. Boris Yeltsin vs Giant Ants [5:04]
08. Born Astronauts [2:31]
09. The Golden Apples of the Sun [7:48]

Download links: