Duck Hunters - Extinction Road (2015)

I like France's Duck Hunters for some odd reason and I can't quite tell you why. There was just something rough and sludgy about this thumping fuzzy rock that had me jamming from “Killer Croc” all of the way to the unexpectedly lengthy, “Hands Of Doom.” But it also might be that these guys love their blues and I can definitely get down with thick blues rock/metal stuff. To say that it was “really groovy” wouldn't be doing it justice, especially when these guys have their share of doom moments here and there, especially on the aforementioned closer. There are also some nice melodies intertwined here, which make the music a little more entertaining than some might think at first glance. The vocal approach might not sound that great at first, but Manu clearly has a lot of power in his lines and I can hear that. These guys also love their instrumental soundscapes, where they pump in psychedelic jam sessions, which go perfect with the grooves already featured on the disc.

Surprisingly, these songs are pretty thick too. I'm not just talking about grooves and doom riffs either. We've got that already, I'm talking about in terms of meat and texture. There are a lot of sections on cuts like “Last Broadcast” and “The Bill” which goes almost into prog rock territory. Duck Hunters might sound like a bunch of really thick stoner/doom rockers and they probably are, but there's still no denying that all of this comes off entirely listenable. As you can hear from the disc, these guys really put a lot of hard work into it and that also gives the listener a lot of unexpected surprises. “Killer Croc” is a great, catchy little song – but it doesn't even help to explain the whole album or what these guys are truly capable of. That being said, there is an odd little ditty called “Exile” which makes me think of an Irishman leaving his homeland as he tips his hat and walks off towards... well, England I guess. Do Irishmen tip their hats?

In any case, if you're adventurous enough for stoner/doom rock experiments, then you're really going to love this one. Lyrically it might not be quite as lighthearted as you'd expect, especially on “The Bill” which can get about as gritty as some of my lyrics can be. Sometimes you just have to sing what people need to hear, and not what they want. In my opinion, there's too many songs out there telling people what they want to hear as it is. Extinction Road is pretty powerful stuff and I definitely recommend it. This is one of those records that caught me by surprise and maybe it'll do the same to you. Great stuff, don't let it get buried under the sea of other releases.

(8 Tracks, 39:00)

8/10