Get ready to embark on a wild ride when you listen to Pennsylvania Death Trip, the latest album from The Virgos. This record takes you on an intense journey through a rich mix of doom metal, sludge metal, death metal, alternative rock, and spoken word elements. The band blends an eclectic array of genres, and surprisingly, they manage to fuse them together in a way that feels natural and cohesive. The pacing and flow of the album never feel forced—each track flows seamlessly into the next, creating a hypnotic, immersive experience for the listener.
However, there is one moment in the middle of the album where things take an unexpected turn. One track is buried so deeply in the mix that you’d think you'd need a shovel to unearth it. While this is a jarring deviation from the album's otherwise consistent tone, it doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience. Aside from that particular anomaly, the rest of the album maintains a solid, unified mood and style that ties everything together.
The bass on this album is monstrous, a massive presence that dominates every track it appears on. Its power helps ground the heavy atmosphere of the record and gives the music a weight that you can physically feel. The guitars have a thick, sludgy tone that adds layers of emotion and depth to the songs, further enhancing the overall feeling of heaviness. The drums, on the other hand, are surprisingly simple for most of the album. While they sit comfortably in the mix, providing a solid backbone to the music, there are moments where they feel a bit buried. In some instances, this subtlety works, adding to the mood, but there are other times when you might find yourself wishing the drums were more prominent in the mix.
The vocals also fall into a similar pattern, often buried in the background or slightly muffled. While this approach adds to the album’s atmospheric quality, there are times when you might long for the vocals to stand out more clearly to match the intensity of the music.
Despite these minor imperfections, Pennsylvania Death Trip is a fascinating listen, especially for those looking to explore the more experimental and unconventional corners of heavy music. The Virgos have crafted a unique and intriguing album that invites listeners into a strange world of crushing riffs and abstract soundscapes. If you’re into discovering new, boundary-pushing heavy music, this album is definitely worth a listen.
RATING:8/10
NOTIABLE TRACKS:
Trip (Aliens = Demons)
Wild At Heart
Ego Death Strut
Pennsylvania