When a band's name makes reference to sinful pleasures, especially of the herbal nature, it's a sign their sound will be akin to Black Sabbath; the emphasis on slow riffing that sounds even heavier due to down-tuned instruments. Weedeater is a perfect example, taking the suggestive themes of drug abuse and sacrilege made famous by Sabbath to new heights but also taking Sabbath's sludgy sound to new lows by excessively distorting the guitars and adding massive amounts of feedback. Imagine songs from Paranoid being mixed with those from Sunn 0)))'s Black One. Sounds like the perfect thing to get lifted to, right?
While the idea of Sabbath mixed with Sunn 0))) sounds monolithic, much of the music on God Luck and Good Speed comes off as monotonous, though not in the crushing manner made famous by many of the other bands on Weedeater's label, Southern Lord.
While they are skilled at creating a squall of noise heavy enough to please Satan, the music itself consists of the same groove that's punishing, but not played slow enough to suck the energy out of you like Electric Wizard or Witch. The vocals are not fitting either; they're reminiscent of a gruff you'd hear from a crust or d-beat band and less like the haunting singing like Ozzy. But it doesn't stop there.
Roughly halfway through the album, there is a short interlude track consisting of banjo and a baritone singing voice that sounds like a b-side from Iron and Wine's earlier albums. Being from North Carolina, the band wanted to celebrate their southern pride. While the track alone is decent tune, it ruins the mood of the whole album, killing the desire to listen to it all the way through.
While it is impressive that all this noise is coming from only three people, God Luck and Good Speed seems like it should be better for a band that's been at this style of music for over ten years. If you're a diehard fan of doom and sludge, then give this album a listen, but if not, don't look too much further than Eyehategod, Electric Wizard, and Down.
