Wroom’s Fungal Overlord recalls mid-era Growing with gorgeously processed doom veering in and out of pastoral beauty and crushing noise. “Cylindrical Cubezoid” opens the tape in bleak tones of low-end vibrations and drugged pacing. The song lurches in a directionless manner, dedicating itself as a palette cleanser more than anything. “A Constant Source of Annoyance” immediately steals the show once it begins though. A haphazard rhythm pulses along an icy streak of sustained feedback and hums until a towering wall of guitar drone floods in. It’s a tested formula done a million times that’s executed perfectly here.
The duo shows another side of itself on tracks like “Energy Cone,” opting for classic sonic experiments in the vein of early electronic pioneers. Channeling the alien vibes of Tarkovsky’s austere film work as well, Wroom seem to be charting new territory using high-energy amps and pedals. Tones buzz and overlap while mapping new terrains and adapting to new climates. “Mongreloid” is another track in particular that plays like a lost transmission of found sounds. Static interplays with an amateur guitar melody and overridden tones, almost like a new form of sound collage.
Fungal Overlord closes with the epically spacious (and titled) “Beard of Stars,” a track that outweighs every other piece here by a solid 10 minutes. An ode to the EBow in many ways, the opus effortlessly sustains searing chords born from single notes with psychedelic flare. To reference Growing’s Color Wheel and His Return golden period again, Wroom’s channeling tried and true beauty in a genre normally stuck in a stagnant rut.
