BLACK SPACE RIDERS is a band from Germany, formed back in 2008.  "Amoretum" is their fifth full lenghth album.  The band is labaled as Stoner Rock but their sound is a bit darker and quite more somber  than something like, say, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.   Just like the aformentioend band, BLACK SPACE RIDERS have the ability to write some super huge riffs and fit them into a quick, catchy passages but they also have a keen sense of melody.  A lot of the album takes  a more subdued approach to the genre but it works so well.

The album begins with "Lovely Lovelie," and its main riff that is about as wide as an archway.  JE's voice is a large as the riffs he helps write and almost as crusty.  He sounds like a frontman from the late 70's, with that clean gruff, but definitely more modern as his vocals are sort of, at times, more shouted  than sang and there are random, low grunts, not quite Death Metal level but carried with the same intensity. I love the random bits of melody that he and the other guitarist Sli throw into the mix, such as the melodic but fastly played riffs that are interspersd throughout the stanzas."Another Sort of Homecoming," features some toned down vocals, loosing the gruff from the previous track for a more traditonal tack on Stoner Rock.  Saq's bass carries the song but it also brings in some interesting melodic guitar and some ghostly leads.

The fourth track, "Movements," sees the band slowing down for a bit, opting some smooth bass and clean guitar for the song's opening.  The vocals are soft, barely above a whisper.   The different approach to the song gives the band some variety and shows how flexible they are.  The track builds up nicely, more of a low rumble that gets bigger and bigger than the full burst of a dam cracking.  About five minutes into the song the riffs pick up, as do the drums.  Towards the end, the song winds down, coming full circle to the beginning.  Its a nice track and probaby the best on the album. The final track, "Fellow Peacemakers," is another slow burn; well done vocals and clean music give way to trippy guitar.  The song plays back and forth with this until little over halfway in those big, fuzzed riffs kick in and let the ride end smoothly. I would enjoyed more heavier songs like the opening track and the production is a bit stiff but those squabbles aside, I found this to be a very different take on the Stoner Rock genre and a enjoyable ride.