Umbilicus – Path of 1000 Suns
Release Date: 30th September 2022
Label: Listenable Insanity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: 70s Rock, Indie, Alternative, Classic Rock, Proto Metal.
FFO: Black Sabbath, Steppenwolf, Black Oak Arkansas.
Review By: Andy Spoon
When death metal musicians get musically-bored, perhaps sometimes they branch out into other styles of music and projects to stretch their musical muscles, so to speak. Umbilicus feels like one of those projects, intending to channel some of the sounds of the 1970s acid rock and southern proto-metal. Claiming to be indie/alternative, I was immediately interested in why a band like this might be appealing to heavy metal fans, so I took the bait and was treated to a very musically-interesting experience that took me a solid chunk of time to settle into.
Immediately, we are treated to what feels like something that is blended modern and vintage-inspired music. Many bands tend to take on themes from prior generations, such as Rival Sons, The Parlor Mob, Jack White, and (shuddering to myself) Greta Van Fleet, all have inspiration from Led Zeppelin. There are dozens of hair metal bands still kicking it out there as well along with Dio tributes and Sabbath-style bands to give you a myriad amount of inspired rock music to take you to a bygone era of proto-metal. I was interested in some of the sounds from Umbilicus because they produce what sounds like acid-rock-era guitars with some southern influence on their most recent release, Path of 1000 Suns.
I think of more of the progressive Southern-rock bands from the 1970s and 1980s like Black Oak Arkansas and Ram Jam when I immediately react to Umbilicus. There is a major love for blues-scales and lo-fi guitar riffing on almost every track. Listeners are further exposed to a very “bluesy”-inspired vocal style that is somewhat reminiscent of many 90s alternative artists (by technique, at least) in the styles of The Black Crowes or Lenny Kravitz. However, guitars are generally fuzzy, muddy, or “trimmed” off at the ginger frequencies.
There is absolutely a distinct sound that comes forth in the mix, something necessary to make a band distinguishable from others attempting to achieve similar goals. For instance, Tom Morello’s stylings are generally immediately apparent, as there is a “signature” sound on the guitars. This is difficult to achieve with most instruments, as most musicians don’t tend to have a “signature” sound, relying mostly on the vocals to help listeners easily-identify the band on, say, the radio. Umbilicus’ entire “sound” is that wonderfully-muddy guitar sound that sounds like they rolled the tone knobs back and broke them off completely.
Path of 1000 Suns is highly-reminiscent of late 1970s acid rock and even some of the Woodstock-era artists like Hendrix and Canned Heat (from a guitar standpoint, mostly). I think that if one is a fan of the earlier Black Sabbath releases, there are several tracks on Path of 1000 Suns which would be right up your alley, like I, Human, which even seems to channel some of the older Ozzy vocal spirit. There is absolutely plenty of groove for your listening pleasure, however, mostly from the more Southern-influenced tracks, such as Stump Sponge, which is laden with hooks.
Generally, I think that Umbilicus is an extremely-talented band with a diverse group of influences ranging across a few decades in rock and roll history. There are some things that give me a little bit of pause, however. I think that I can often pick out which band they are trying to emulate in each track. E.g. “Oh, this is definitely an Ozzy/Dio track” or “Yeah, I think I can definitely hear Black Oak Arkansas right now.” The guitar tone, as mentioned before, seems to have some general consistency across the board, which is a positive when considering the hop-scotch between emulation movements.
I think that the vocals are generally-good, as vocalist Brian Stephenson brings that late-1970s style that seems to dance in between the Kravtiz and Ozzy, which is undoubtedly enjoyable. What is fun to think about is how the founding members Paul Mazurkiewicz (Cannibal Corpse) and Vernon Blake (Anarchus, Napalm death-live line-up), as well as guitarist Taylor Nordberg (Deicide, Inhuman Condition) have roots in much heavier death metal music, but wanted to channel a whole new artistic dynamic with the Umbilicus project. I really can appreciate artists branching out to create something outside of their own wheelhouse.
Genre-jumping can often create problems, as leaving one’s specialty can bring the level of skill down a significant step. We were shown some of that with another death metal heavyweight band having released an electronic/ambient album under their own name, and severely underwhelming many fans as a result. I think that Umbilicus is definitely not in that group, as Path of 1000 Suns stands on its own feet as a project. It is absolutely fun and enjoyable. It’s not something that I would personally put on repeat, but is absolutely something that Deicide and Cannibal Corpse fans ought to hear as it features some of their favorite musicians in completely new roles.
I feel like I am influenced slightly by the fact that I knew these were death metal artists playing classic proto-metal. If you simply place the music on its own merit, I personally find it to be interesting, but not something that I find genre-defining or particularly inspiring for my own desires. However, when I consider the stretch of the artists, I am insanely impressed that this level of competence on the album is present. There is absolutely no death metal influence present in the album. It actually does what it purports to do, which is to be a fun throwback to a bygone era of “dirty” and “ugly” metal music. Regardless, there are several tracks which are a total blast, while there are others that are largely forgettable.
Overall, I commend these guys for their ability to jump into an entirely-new sphere of music and be completely worthy of a solid listen that will absolutely appeal to throwback rockers. I personally don’t find it to be my style, but I think that this is far better than a simple “side project”. Inspired by the early metal stylings of Sabbath and The Scorpions, Umbilicus’ members depart from death metal roots to bring us a 10-track guitar and vocal showcase that fully exists on its own merit in a totally different setting that death metal fans ought to check out at least once.
Best Tracks: Stump Sponge, The Call.
(2.5 / 5)
