Review: Bluff by Oddplay

Oddplay are a Bulgarian instrumental duo who specialise in a particularly heavy style of psychedelic rock that doesn't quite fit the mould of stoner doom, dessert rock or traditional psychedelia, but sits somewhere in between these three points. Their fourth album Bluff takes on a darker and more gloomy atmosphere than previous works, but retains their ability to write catchy songs that capture some of the darker qualities of modern heavy psych bands combined with the swagger of  classic 60s psychedelic rock. All of this is wrapped in a late 90s/early 2000s rock tone that gives Bluff a surprisingly familiar and quite accessible feeling.

Consisting of members Itso Nikoloff and Alexander Enev, the duo have produced three albums in relatively quick succession, and it means their artistic progression is on display in quite some detail. It doesn't however mean that any of their records feel under-written or poorly crafted, and Bluff is undoubtedly a very well put-together album that flows with a consistently mesmeric quality through it's eleven tracks. 

The band utilise heavy and fuzzy doom riffs very well, and the inspiration of psychedelic doom bands such as Electric Wizard and Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats is clear to see. These riffs really come to the fore on Decrepit, Spoon Bender, Eye Of Horus and the wonderfully drawn out Procrastinated. However, unlike many of the bands these riffs take influence from, Oddplay are deliberately precise in their performances, and their sound doesn't have the huge walls of sound that can sometimes make doom metal riffs feel a bit vague. 

Coupled with the doom riffs are a whole heap of grunge riffs and loud/quiet dynamics that remind me of the more ambitious bands of that era such as Silverchair and Alice In Chains, and you can hear this clearest on Sunseeker, The Path and Lost Eden. Some of these riffs even get heavy enough to enter groove metal territory, but it's when the band use a particularly Tom Morello style of riff that things really take off. Depths is full of these and there's even a funky bass line that threads through the track's Hendrix-esque break. You can also hear these riffs in Spoon Bender, and in Procrastinated it acts as a fascinating counterpoint to the doom riffs that the track opens with.

There are of course times when the band employ softer and more intricate melodies, and it's something they do exceptionally well. Moonrock has a slightly Thursday-esque intro, whilst Hitchhiker, Eye Of Horus and Lost Eden all develop around entrancing melancholic melodies. Occasionally the band push this side of their sound further into post-rock style atmospheric build-ups, such as on Depths and Sunseeker. It's something I do think they could have delved further into though particularly since, as shown on the Isis-esque title track, when they go into this sound fully they do it so brilliantly.

For all of it's seriousness and precision, Bluff definitely has some less constrained moments, and it comes out often in the psychedelic guitar solos. Moonrock has a a solo that leads to a slightly groovy Foals style break, while Spoon Bender has enough wah-wah to make even Kirk Hammett jealous. Eye Of Horus has the kind of wild abandon that Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is so brilliant at producing, and I feel that with a little more of this sense of freedom the band can certainly continue to elevate their sound.

Whilst Bluff has plenty of distinct elements and all the tracks are separated, the similarity in tone and the fact that none of them are overly long means the tracks blend together very nicely, and this is definitely an album best consumed as a whole. Oddplay are still a developing band, but the way they are developing is extremely enjoyable to hear. Bluff is their best album yet, but it also leaves them with plenty of room to develop into areas which they haven't fully explored.

Bluff is released this Friday, 26th February, and is available to order on Bandcamp

Check out all of Oddplay's other links here