| In
some episodes, as Two Drinks Of Wine or When The Train Comes Back, the band
bring me down along the Mississippi, with this slow seductive blues, really
warm and intense. The strangest things of the Half Man can be found in some
things as Ain't Ya Coming Home or in the fantastic instrumental Two Perverted
Men, in which you'll be lead in a trip that starts with the first Pink Floyd
releases and arrive to the stoner planet, flying on thirty years of psychedelic
and progressive rock, with the unique special touch of this northern bluesmen.
Bokal, Stoned Gods - Get the whole review |
| Did
I walked into a smoke filled basement somewhere circa 1972 here? Maybe not
but sure has hell feels like it. I was shocked at just how good this sounded,
think of a mix of Led Zeppelin and Free, and you start to get somewhere
near the sound on this. Stoner rock? Psych rock? Hard rock? Blues rock?,
I'm not about "bag it and tag it" that easy, there's something here for
all rock music fans. Martyn Jones, Acid Attack Music - Get the whole review |
| What a
classic! My, my, my! What an album! The heaviest groovy rock so far this
year. Half Man is worth all praise, for the band has created a real classic album in the genre of heavy blues rock. Stefan Lindqvist, NST - Get the whole review |
| This is
the perfect sound track for a Sunday hangover or maybe after you have smoked
a few late at night, anyway I think you get the picture, its cruisy. Psychedelic
blues is one term they use to describe themselves and I think that fits
rather nicely, some tracks lean more toward the blues side of things while
others are all things Psychedelic. I always like to hear something a little
different and this is certainly different to most of the stuff I receive.
Jeb Taylor, High Beam On-line Magazine - Get the whole review |
| In fact,
it's with the following tracks, "Insane" and "Home For Two", that we are
introduced to the full dimension of Half Man, musicians who manipulate the
blues' classic three chords cramming them with psychedelic tones, but preserving
blues' personal characteristics intact, among delicious and never intrusive
high voltage guitar solos, rhythmic breaks and Jan Bengtsson's hard vocals
(a guy who drank deep from the swamp water). Luciano Gaglio, Rockerilla & Stoner Rock Rules! - Get the whole review |
| 'Field
Guide�' is a rich mix of hard rockin' grooves pulled smoothly from many
seemingly different genres. Half Man does an excellent job of mixing early
70s style progressive rock, straight up blues, and modern 'psychedelic'
rock riffs into one hell of a heavy groove rock experience. The songwriting
is absolute top notch in every respect and the 'flow' of the album from
start to finish couldn't be more 'right'. Dan Beland, StonerRock.com - Get the whole review |
| The
atmosphere a la first Jethro Tull (from the "This Was" era, to make it clear)
is evident in more than one passage. Face the splendid psych-trip of "Two
Perverted Men In The Swamp" with your seat-belts fastened, or you could
find yourselves orbiting around the Earth, forever... One of the albums of the year... a must have! Davidew, Vincebus Eruptum - Get the whole review |
| Too quickly
you could put Half Man in the stoner rock bandwagon, but inside their hearts
it's pulsing the soul of the big 70's hard rock bands. Mastery chords and
an evocative voice push them beyond the sad multitude of Kyuss clones without
fantasy. Their songwriting have deep roots in blues, the one full groove
and feeling played by gods as Mountain, Led Zep and Black Sabbath. The rank
of the showed emotions, delayed tempos, good taste for electric guitar and
ancestral and evocative spirit put together create a charming and timeless
blend. Stefano Cerati, Metal Force - Get the whole review |
| It 's
hard to choose just 3 records among the ones that made 1999 a great "stoner"
year. Labels like Man's Ruin, MeteorCity, and Tee Pee (without forgetting
the dedicated work of Rise Above, Game Two, The Music Cartel, Brainticket,...)
released some of the best heavy-psych albums ever (The Atomic Bitchwax,
Core, Goatsnake, Unida, Fireball Ministry, Mammoth Volume, Karma To Burn,
Fatso Jetson, Las Cruces...). Among them, "Stoner Rock Rules!" would like
to indicate the titles below... 1. Spirit Caravan - "Jug Fulla Sun" 2. Beaver - "Lodge" EP, Solace - "Distanced From Reality" EP 3. Half Man - "The Complete Field Guide For Cynics" Luciano Gaglio, Roadburn |
| Proving
that there are no limitations on where low-end riff rock can go, Sweden's
Half Man unveil their debut masterpiece! Thick, punchy riffs mixed with
swampy blues, a series of peaks and valleys exploring the musical and emotional
frontiers pioneered by CCR, Raging Slab, Fu Manchu and Thin Lizzy. One of
the most powerful and original sounds to arise in this scene yet. Highly
recommended! MeteorCity |
