Morass of Molasses – The Ties That Bind (Review)

This is the second album from Morass of Molasses, a stoner rock/metal band from the UK.

The Ties That Bind is a hard rocking stoner metal album that combines elements of sludge rock, doom, and distorted blues into its style.

The band’s base sound is one that you’ve heard plenty of times before, but what sets them apart from their peers is their personality and knack they have of injecting their songs with energy and character. Throughout the album there are occasions where they do things a little different from the norm. This might be something as simple as a calmer moment amidst the heavy riffs, or maybe a different type of drum beat than you were expecting, a rich melodically atmospheric passage, or something else.

The vocals are charismatic and delivered with flair, and also help differentiate the band somewhat. The singer feels like he puts his whole body into his performance, and his voice is expressive and well-delivered. Although he doesn’t always show it all the time, he also has quite a good range too.

I enjoyed the first Morass of Molasses album, with its quirky take on stoner rock/metal. The Ties That Bind builds on the strengths and quirks of their first and expands on them, improving the songwriting and developing the band as a considerable hard rocking entity, but one that’s also capable of nuance and measure. As such, I heartily recommend that you check this album out.