Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: Legend of the Seagullmen - S/T


Let's just get this out of the way: Legend of the Seagullmen is more than a little ridiculous. Heralded as a supergroup featuring members of Tool (drummer Danny Carey) and Mastodon (guitarist Brent Hinds), this LA-based band bears passing similarities to those bands but filters their respective styles through an eccentric concept album revolving around an assorted cast of seafaring characters. Lyrics are unavailable online, so I can only go by what my ears tell me, but these tales seem a little whimsical, somewhat comedic and wholly ludicrous.

This isn't alien territory for at least one of the band members; Hinds famously contributed to the now classic concept album about Moby Dick that set Mastodon upon a path to greatness. In some ways, then, Legend of the Seagullmen plays like a sort of parody of Leviathan, even being so brazen as to incorporate nautical sound effects throughout. The story is, as I said, a bit difficult to decode, but rest assured that shit gets absurd.

And so, Legend of the Seagullmen seems destined to be simply a throwaway novelty act, silly rock stars making silly music. The thing is, having accomplished musicians such as Hinds and Carey involved actually elevates the proceedings to a point where the music transcends its ridiculousness. As cheeky and as goofy as this album gets, damn if it isn't enjoyable and damn if the enjoyment doesn't trump every other emotion this record wrings out. Every chuckle and cringe is met with a haunting cinematic passage, a ripping guitar lead or one of Danny Carey's earth-rumbling fills.

By the time its 37 minutes are over the tales of seagullgod kings, ancient pirates and a murderous behemoth squid that terrorizes Los Angeles (sort of to the tune of Metallica's Seek and Destroy, no less) are all perfectly acceptable because the music is so on point. Singer David "The Doctor" Dreyer lays the concept all out on the band's title track anyway: "That's right, this is entertainment / we don't know how we can explain it". Fair point. Why try to parse deep meanings or thread together plot lines when we can just turn the volume up and let the Seagullmen entertain us for a while?

February 9, 2018 • Dine Alone
Highlights The Fogger • Shipswreck • Rise of the Giant

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up!  What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...
Post a Comment
Read more