Budos Band carved out a unique genre for themselves as masters of cinematic, occult, mystical, edgy, foreboding music. This album, VII (most of their albums are simply titled sequentially), is their latest offering of deep, dark metal funk, and it’s a frightfully fun listen.
The band started about 20 years ago in Staten Island, NY, with their first three heavy on Afrobeat and Afro-soul in the mold of Fela Kuti and the JBs. That meant a great rhythm section, heavy on percussion and terrific horns. Even in that era, which included the albums I (2005), II (2007), III (2010), and The Budos Band EP (2009), it was evident that the band leaned toward danger with album covers of a volcano, scorpion, and cobra. By the time Burnt Offering was released in 2014, they’d gone full warlock into the dark side and never looked back.
The Budos Band sound is now indelible and unmistakable and always creates a reaction in my brain and on my skin. VII follows in that tradition with 11 short but memorable tracks that will certainly be in the rotation as they begin their tour this summer. Can’t wait to see them in Atlanta and the Southeast again. Here’s my incantation, spell by spell.
Spell-By-Spell
Thrice Crowned opens with a whoosh sound as if a car passed. It’s uber-cinematic with heavy fuzz on the bass and guitar. My research shows that Dan Foder (Bass) and Thomas Brenneck (Guitar) both use some very vintage instruments to get that feel. The song also has wailing trumpet solo midway and then a classic Jared Tankel bari sax solo. The horn only closeout is another Budos signature feature.
Overlander starts with fuzz guitar left channel to right channel to stereo before the fully structured head comes in with a power bass and horn line. The horn-refrain sounds like a super hero introduction. Mike Deller plays some monster scary-movie organ and Tankel plays up and down the bari sax range for that ominous feel. The horns power it out to an echoed fade.
Night Raid has some Middle Eastern flair with Brenneck on guitar for the theme. This one could fit as part of a James Bond 007 soundtrack. Brenneck and Fodor impeccably match note for note while the horns blast out the melody. Another highlight is the pairing of Deller and Fodor riding in tandem.
Lair of 1000 Serpents evokes imagery of a bullfighter entering the ring, although that’s not consistent with the title – I suppose it’s the ring of 1000 snakes. The horns herald the vision of imminent danger. There’s the fuzzed guitar and bass on top of it and short percussion solo as the kicker.
Kudzu Vine is driven by Fodor’s repeating four-note head. As a resident of Georgia, I’m familiar with the ever-growing, tough-to-kill kudzu vine from Asia. The bass pattern is punctuated with Deller’s organ. The horns once again take the lead voice and carry on right through the high-pitched abrupt ending.
Sharkey’s Delight is the only Budos tune I can recall that has no horns. The synth and piano intro actually sounds a bit like a nursery rhyme, very innocuous until the rest of the rhythm section joins. Just as the child’s play takes a darker turn, this short tune ends By the way, the tune is spelled without the “e” on streaming services. At this point, I’m not sure of the title’s reference but I’d like to think it’s a hat tip to the old Burt Reynold’s movie “Sharkey’s Machine) which had an all time great soundtrack. I’ll try to find out.
Curse of the Ivory Fang starts a rolling journey with a triple-punch horn call. Midway, there’s an eerie synth solo from Deller, followed by a short Brenneck solo as highlights. It’s a quick ride with the whole team right up to the warped synth ending. By the way, many of Budos’ songs on prior albums are notable for their innovative sounding ending flourishes with bent notes and warped-effects and this one follows suit.
Behind the Black Curtain probably has the darkest opening of any tune on the album, with some very echoey and fuzzy guitar and bass. The horns come in and portend a shootout at dusk a la ennio morricone in the spaghetti western tunes of the past. Even the horns play very much in the lower register. After a brief pause, Fodor lays the low end foundation for a monster of a bari lead from Tankel. It sounds like a moans of an injured animal, but in a good way, and I’m loving it.
Escape From Ptenoda City features a bass+guitar+percussion opening and a great horn-led theme. I’ve got no idea of the origin of the title but it seems like an epic journey. It’s worth noting on this tune, but really all of them, that the production seems very retro, almost like it was recorded direct to tape or on an analog system. This just adds special feeling to the overall effort.
The Strigoi leads off with Deller and Brenneck setting the table. The horns play the lead melody, but subtly in the background there’s some very futuristic synth work from Deller that contrasts the old-school feel. Not sure, but that could be the disruptive force here. There’s a medium length trumpet solo here as well to close out the tune, right up to a spacey UFO-sounding finish.
“In Romanian folklore, “strigoi” refers to a type of undead being, often described as a troubled spirit or vampire, capable of rising from the grave and causing harm to the living. They are believed to have abilities like transformation, invisibility, and draining life force. The term “strigoi” is associated with the Romanian words “a striga” (to shout) and “oi” (meaning something out of the norm), hinting at their disruptive nature”.
Mean Streets is all epic doom funk with Fodor and Rich Terrana (percussion) doing the heavy lifting here. It also features Tankel with an outstanding solo, something I can’t get enough of. The chaotic break near the end pulls out all the stops, and just like that, the journey ends. It’s a whirlwind, a totally exhilarating album, and a fine addition to the Budos catalog.
Budos Band VII Credits
Brian Profilio – Drums
Dan Foder – Bass
Thomas Brenneck – Guitar/Synth/Harp
Mike Deller – Organ
Jared Tankel- Baritone
Dave Guy – Trumpet
Andrew Greene – Trumpet
Rich Terrana – Percussion/Synth
Ray Mason – Trombone
Produced by Thomas Brenneck
Studio Engineer: Simon Guzmán
Mixing Engineers: Simon Guzmán and Thomas Brenneck
Mastering : JJ Golden
Purchase on Bandcamp
