As I'm sure I've mentioned before until now, Stoner Rock is a genre that has never really interested me. I don't know what it is but there's something about the genre which seems to put me off. I do kind of appreciate what the genre as a whole is trying to achieve but there's something about the way it sounds which just bothers me. It's hard really to explain but I've never really cared much for the Stoner genre but let it not be said that I have hopes that one day a Stoner release that sounds good to my ears will come along. Until that day comes, I'll keep on doing my job as a music journalist so with all that said, let us dive into today's review which is the third album from Canadian Stoner band CHRON GOBLIN.

Originally from Calgary in Canada, this quartet of Stoner Rock & Metal musicians formed in 2009 and released their first album in 2011. Two years later they came back with their second album and now two more years have passed and we're now in 2015 so it's time for album number three "Backwater" to be released, listened to and reviewed and that is exactly what I am going to do so let's do this thing.

Clocking in at around 40 minutes across 8 songs, the new album features a mixture of traditional Stoner Rock combined with a bit of Metal as well for good measure. Opening up with "Fuller" and closing off with "The Return" with six additional tracks in between, the album delivers a combination of dirty guitars, groovy bass riffs and dirty vocals as well. It may sound like I'm giving it a good start by the wording I'm using but truth be told, that's not really the case once you listen to it as it does not really sit with me.

As I mentioned at the start of this review, Stoner Rock has been a genre which I've never really cared for all that often. I don't mind that the melodies are dirty as there have been records I've reviewed that I've liked that have used this formula but depending on how it's used, it can be hit and miss depending on the genre and the band. For this record, it's very much a miss for most of the time as there are parts I do sort of appreciate such as the guitar melodies and the bass riffs which can occasionally be enjoyable but for the most part, it doesn't sit right with me. The same is also said for the vocals as they just sound off to me as most of the time I can't really enjoy the performance due to either the performance itself sounding off, the melodies burying the vocals or trying to make out the lyrics as I listen to each song.

I think that maybe if the melodies, the performance and the production were a bit cleaner, then maybe this would have been more favorable with my ears but it's not something I enjoyed listening to. The combination of the hit and miss performances and the occasional messy melody combined with the fact that the music does tend to drag on a bit, makes this a record that is very much hit and miss depending on the listeners own preferred musical tastes. I guess what I'm trying to say is that although it may be favorable with you, it's not something that's memorable for me, personally.

Bottom line, the new CHRON GOBLIN album is another example as to why the Stoner Rock genre has never been one I've gotten on with all that well as it's very much a hit and miss style of music depending on the song, the band, the mixing and so on. Although it may be something that a fan of the genre or someone else may like for themselves depending on their musical tastes, it's not really something that sits with me for the reasons I stated in this review.