Craetor are a three piece stoner rock band from Western Massachusetts and Keystone Sessions – Volume 1 is their latest EP, released on 03/02/2023.

The EP is an instrumental and consisting of four tracks it is a little under 17 minutes of pure fuzzy stoner rock.

But this is not just a stoner rock band, as they have successfully managed to incorporate many genres into their sound, and this will widen their appeal amongst music lovers. Doom, stoner, punk, grunge, psychedelia and even classic rock all make an appearance at some point throughout this Ep and kudos must be given to the band to be able to do this without the use of a great amount of lyrics and vocals. The EP contains a limited number of lyrics sang in the background at various times but these are not the main focus of the songs.

Heavily featuring guitars and drums, the band use distortion on both to create a very grungy vibe to the EP. The guitar work is raw, with heavy riffs and a ton load of feedback that really electrifies the music. The pace of the guitar work changes throughout the EP too, sometimes almost at a speed metal tempo while at others slowly right down with pounding, stomping riffs. The solos are awesomely phenomenal, and this shows the sheer talent of the guitarist.

The drumming is frantic and energetic and there are almost punk-like influences coming through here and there on this. With crashing cymbals galore, the drum work is, again, raw and brutal and I can imagine the drummer had a whale of a time creating this EP.

The basslines are strong and keep the tempo of the album perfectly. The music changes pace throughout but this only keeps the listener engaged with the tracks at all times and there is always something new to hear.

The energy and aggression that comes from this EP is hard to miss and there is also a no-holds-barred attitude that all three musicians seem to possess.

I really liked this EP and I will be keeping my ear to the ground for anything else they release. Please check them out on Spotify and anywhere else you can find them.

Awesome job!

Track Listing:

1) Villager

2) Ender

3) Obsidian

4) Stone

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum