Nebula – Transmission From Mothership Earth
Release Date: 22nd July 2022
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock
FFO: Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Dozer.
Review By: Paul Cairney
It is fitting that Transmission From Mothership Earth was recorded in the Mojave Desert, as it is the 7th album from Desert Rock mainstays Nebula. In 2020, Nebula released their first album in 13 years with a new line-up, and it is this trio, ably led by founder member Eddie Glass and supported by Mike Amster on the drums, that bring on the fuzz. The final member is, I guess we can call him long term bassist, Tom Davies, although this is only his 3rd full length with the band. Collectively, these guys have delivered what can only be described as true stoner rock.
8 tracks long, with the filthiest fuzz-ridden riffs you can imagine, Transmission From Mothership Earth is 38 minutes of stoner rock heaven. Never straying from the basis of the genre, the album is somehow diverse enough to avoid being caught in a repetitive fuzz bubble. Each track is confident enough to stand alongside the others, knowing that there is no danger of it being swallowed up by the adjacent songs, a trap many a stoner album has slipped into.
There are a handful of songs that stand-out. Album opener, ‘Highwired’ is a highly effective start, welcoming you to the party like an old friend you haven’t seen for many years. ‘I Got So High’, is another stormer and hopefully all the drugs were not taken concurrently, as Glass’ lyrics state, or he may have been in a bit of trouble. The trippy bass delivers a deep groove to the album before it picks up pace half way through. It is a superb song.
The pace drops a little with the following song, ‘Existential Blues’, a track that is slightly more formulaic compared to the rest of the album, which is disappointing. It is nothing you haven’t heard a million times before if you like the genre. The nature of the track is emphasised by the excellent nature of the album closer, ‘The Four Horsemen’, a track that could appear in a Tarantino movie, complete with harmonies and superb drumming by Amster.
The only issue you may have with the album is that it doesn’t demand repeat listens from the casual Stoner Rock listener. There are better albums in the genre, Nebula have released better albums. That said, it doesn’t mean you should avoid it, quite the opposite, actually. When Transmission From Mothership Earth is hot, it is 19 July 2022 UK Weather hot! It is scalding, it creates fire! It is, very much, a genre album. 
(3.5 / 5)
