Supersonic Dragon Wagon - "From the Deep"
"That's a badass album cover," I said to myself upon seeing Supersonic Dragon Wagon's new album, From the Deep, for the first time. That was certainly enough to entice me to push play.
And while I was prepared for at least a moderate amount of badassery, I wasn't ready for the mournful tones of opening track Riptide to grab onto me with steel claws, sending me on a most captivating mental voyage for the half-hour that followed.
Let's back up a bit.
Supersonic Dragon Wagon is a stoner/doom band from San Diego, California, the psychedelic rock capital of the American heavy underground. Although these guys aren't a new band by any means (they've been releasing music since about 2013), From the Deep (released August 2, 2024) was my first time hearing them.
In their Instagram bio, Supersonic Dragon Wagon describes themselves as a "riff-laden, space truckin', funked out, party rock band." Well, I for one believe they're selling themselves rather short. "Epic", would be a good all-around descriptor for their powerful brand of stoner/doom; there's nothing flippant going on here. Supersonic Dragon Wagon's songs, like those of many old school doomsters and classic heavy metallers before them, have the flow and feel of the fantastical, but with a modern spin. I'm reminded a bit of the chronicles laid out by Stone of Duna's commanding delivery, combined with the haunting, doom/grunge stylings of Baardvader, but Supersonic Dragon Wagon's sound is very much their own.
From the Deep
From the Deep contains seven killer tracks, and is a collection of both previously released and new songs:
1. Riptide
As mentioned earlier, this opening song got me heavily invested in the rest of the album. While this feels very much like a traditional metal song with its lyrical tone, vocal style, and wailing solos, I'm loving the incorporation of fuzz as well, giving a nod to a more modern stoner sound. Besides being utterly haunting, woeful, and emotive, Riptide is a great exemplar of Supersonic Dragon Wagon's sound and style as a whole.
2. Dreams
On Dreams, the spectacular vocal performance continues. In fact, it grows exponentially more expressive and powerful here. Dreams is the first track on the album (and not the last) that gives strong grungy vibes in the vocal department. Specifically, I'm reminded of Layne Stayley if he would have gone the traditional heavy metal route as well as Chris Cornell's vocal style on Soundgarden's first two albums...the early days of grunge when classic heavy metal could still be heard its sound.
Instrumentally, Dreams takes on a doomy trudge, particularly in its first half, that gradually brightens with the help of some soaring lead guitar.
3. War of the World
Booming drums, delightfully nasty bass, and crunchy guitar lead us into War of the World. As soon as the wailing heavy rock vocals begin, it's clear that this might just be the most infectious song on the album (funny enough, the lyrics are about just that, a mass infection of sorts). You can't help but sing along to this one.
4. Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools is absolutely saturated with a gorgeous yet brooding traditional doom sound, made even more mesmeric by the melodic vocals. This song is smartly placed squarely in the middle of the album, making it feel like a natural post-climactic comedown, during which the hero is sullenly reflecting on how to solve a seemingly insurmountable problem.
5. Strange Illusion
Strange Illusion is a bit like a sister song to Ship of Fools in both doomy cadence and overall tone as it begins, but this time the vocals revert back to a grungy quality and there are plenty of fuzzed-out moments as well. The doom element builds to the last third of the song before exploding into a groovy stoner/doom jam. You truly get a little bit of multiple heavy genres in this song, and it's executed flawlessly. Strange Illusion is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.
6. Become the Wave
Become the Wave begins with a slower, hypnotic pace and breathy vocals. As the instrumentals progress, it quickly becomes apparent that this is the most psychedelic song on From the Deep; that California sound really shines through here. This spiraling, trance-inducing beginning blows up at the very end, as the vocals powerfully wail amid evilly heavy guitars. This heavy portion begins and ends so quickly after that rather calm beginning that it leaves you feeling a bit rattled in the best way.
7. Find Our Way Home
Find Our Way Home is an acoustic song filled with dark, deep tones, with hints of bluesy folk abound. Even the vocals take on a lower register, ending the album on a haunting, almost ghostly note.
Final Thoughts
The first word that comes to mind is "power"; everything about From the Deep is absolutely dripping with the stuff: the vocals, the instrumentals, the delivery, the composition...it's all very big and it's intense. In addition, there's a ton of variety at play on the album, vacillating back and forth between a more traditional doom/metal style and the most delightful grungy delivery that's saturated with darkness. The stoner fuzz factor as we know and love it makes appearances, rearing its head like a colossal sea creature. Beneath it all, there's a delicate ribbon of psychedelic rock that can be difficult to pick out among all heaviness, but the band's San Diego influence is always lurking about somewhere.
Many bands in the heavy underground play multiple styles of music with ease, but Supersonic Dragon Wagon does it in such a mighty way, you can't help but get happily lost in their timeless yet modern take on stoner/doom.
Supersonic Dragon Wagon deserves way more attention. Infinitely more. So, do what you guys do best: go out there and show the band some much-deserved love!
More About Supersonic Dragon Wagon
You can follow Supersonic Dragon Wagon and listen to their music at the following links:
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