Review by Karen Anderson
Generous Maria is a Swedish drug metal, stoner rock band. About half of their album Command of the New Rock I like and about half of it I don’t.
This is the first CD I’ve reviewed where the voice isn’t squeaky or scratchy, which is refreshing. The vocals are thick and distinctive, but can be as overbearing and gaudy as the album artwork.
The lyrics I would definitely not call poetic. In fact I’d call them rather crude. In the song “Firebug” they try to explain a passionate relationship, but it ends up sounding more like a barbeque held by Hannibal Lector. The lyrics are rather confusing and random at times.
The instrumentals are pretty good and they flow well together. They’re the best part of the album. Actually they save the album. While this is not the most innovative music I’ve heard, it shows promise. For the most part the band is fasted paced with “Soulflight” being the exception. It’s packed with hard riffs, psycadelic sounds, and occasional Congo drums.