Click on images to enlarge
ATOMIC RITUAL
| The cover art for Atomic Ritual suggests Nebula's quest for the melding of inner and outer space — or something equally hazy and vaguely profound conjured up amidst all the bong resin and empty, crumpled Cheetos bags. Of course, Nebula treads heavily within the realm of stoner rock — in other words (and setting aside any ridiculous categorizations), this hard-working power trio sounds like it has been hanging out in the garage since 1973, blissfully unaware of the changing world outside. Which is definitely to its benefit because this, the band's third full-length, boasts consistently entertaining songwriting and the production hand of desert-rock hero Chris Goss, who captures Nebula's sound while simultaneously enhancing it. He carefully and brilliantly melds warm, '70s fuzz tones with the grit and fury necessitated by gifted guitarist Eddie Glass' raucous, overdriven Stooges riffs. Hence the up-tempo thunder-and-rumble of "So It Goes"; the garage punk freakouts of "More" and the title track; the wavering space echo of "The Beast" and "Strange Human"; the flanged acoustic guitar and lazy Mellotron warbles of "Paradise Engineer"; and the hook-ridden, coulda-been-AM-radio-hits "The Way to Venus" and "Carpe Diem." Notably, there's very little filler and plenty of hooks to be found on Atomic Ritual, and the group manages to somehow work its meandering sonic indulgences — hyperactive drumming, phaser-pedal whooshes and swooshes, guitar solos — into arrangements that never top the five-minute mark. Sure, Nebula wears its myriad of influences on its dusty, tattered sleeve — early Monster Magnet, Mudhoney, the MC5, Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Blue Cheer — but bottom line, Atomic Ritual is a thoroughly enjoyable listen and a surprisingly focused piece of work considering the band's penchant for psychotropic space rock. - All Music Guide |
| Plenty of folks pay lip service to the (un)holy trinity of sex, drugs and rock & roll, but this Angeleno trio has developed the staggering ability to coax listeners into a near-Unitarian epiphany where the three are thoroughly inseparable. Ghosts of Hawkwind and the MC5 loom large over sections of Atomic Ritual -- the former on the churning "Paradise Engineer," the latter on the intemperance hymn "More" -- but the vibe isn't so much tribute band as it is shared DNA. Frontman Eddie Glass has a jones for wah-wahs and other space-bending tricks, but he avoids guitar geekdom by granting that man cannot live by riffs alone and allowing bassist Simon Moon to take center stage on the title track, while he laces the set-ending "Fin" with deceptively gentle piano. In the end, though, the band's intoxicant of choice is the guitar, and on tracks like "So it Goes" the contact high is every bit as strong as countless moms once warned it would be. - Rolling Stone.com |
| These guys are so badass you don't even know. Well....maybe you do. Regardless, if you don't know who or what Nebula is then this is a great album to introduce yourself with. Atomic Ritual takes the fuzzy riff rawk aura then takes off in some supped up spacecraft with enough clearlight and testicles to make Buzz Aldren say "damn!" Nebula's past offerings are good, I mean really good, but this new one sounds really confident, tight, yet comfortable enough to stop and try to not be the astral projecting embodiment of Fu Manchu. Each song feels as if it were crafted under much duress and then walked through with new eyes, maybe due to their new bassist for the recording Simon Moon. A new perspective always pisses you off at first but then when you actually get down to brass tacks you "oh yeah...you're right." And Nebula gets it right this time. For sure. The best part is, amongst the solar train ride to sunsets unknown, is the totally positive energy the CD gives off. I mean, lines like "Paradise is now!" makes even the worse trip seem OK. - Zero Magazine (San Francisco) |
| Leave the stoner rock handle for more one-dimensional riff merchants - Nebula deserve better. This fuzzed-out California trio shows its versatility on the first three tracks of Atomic Ritual, going from the psychedelic fury of the title cut to the Motorhead-meets-the Stooges rumble of "So it Goes" to the Grand Funk groove of "Carpe Diem." And so goes the rest of the band's third full-length album, a record that fulfills the promise of greatness its first two seemed to suggest. Atomic Ritual is the kind of timeless rock record so fundamentally solid and unencumbered by current trends that is will sound just as vital 20 years from now as it does today. - Revolver |
| Nebula have built a reputation as one of the pre-eminent stoner rock bands. When guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano split the Fu Manchu scene they decided to turn the motherfucker out as Nebula. Eddie Glass' smokin' fret work has gotten hotter, with fuzzed-out riffs the size of gas giants and sweet solos. Glass' vocal shortcomings are obvious in songs like opener "Atomic Ritual," which reeks of Spine Of God-era Monster Magnet and begs for Dave Wyndorf's soulful belting. That said, Fu Manchu's Scott Hill makes Glass sound like Pavarotti. The fact that they brought in a ringer like Chris Goss isn't just icing on the cake - dude works magic. On Atomic Ritual, Nebula take the conventions of space rock and heavy-assed electric blues and tweak the clichés like rock virtuosos. - Exclaim |
| If you've written these Fu Manchu refugees off as a mere stoner band, think again. Nebula prove most definitively on their third album that they're far more versatile and skilled than the average knuckle-dragging, Sabbath-aping longhairs. Though Atomic Ritual has a heavy 70's vibe (think Grand Funk, early Motorhead, The Stooges) it's by no means a calculated ploy to jump on a retro bandwagon. This is just well-written and well-played rock, with a definite psychedelic edge. By the time the third track "Carpe Diem" which could have easily been an FM-radio hit in 1976, smacks you square between the eyes, it's clear that these guys are miles ahead of the stoner rock ilk they're so often lumped with. - Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles |
| God this is good! Nebula have churned out more quality songs in the past three years than most bands manage in an entire career. Charged, Dos Ep's, and To The Centre were only tryouts for this absolute monster of pure fuzz freak out. From the swelling organ at the start of the title track to the eerie comedown instrumental at the end, Terms like "mind expanding" are applied to every bunch of Muppets who buy a second hand fuzz pedal, but in the case of Nebula it's justified. This album could have been made at any time since about 1967 - nobody's claiming that Nebula break any new ground - it's just that this California sunshine brand of psyche-out rock was abandoned all too quickly by it's original practitioners. Produced by Chris Goss (Masters of Reality), the overall feel is that there is something vast and cosmic lurking beneath the surface of even the most ordinary songs. - Metal Hammer |
| The great hope of nitro-fueled American
psychedelic rock is back, crackling with an energy not found since the
MC5 brought heavy US-bred psych to the American consciousness. The payoff?
FBI files and police hassles. But this is a different era. Tired and jaded
of flavor-of-the-day prefab pop icons, rock fans yearn for the originality,
energy and dedication of bands that can bring the "RAWK" tried
and true. This is where Nebula fits into the grand scheme of things. If
Atomic Ritual doesn't win them a legion of new fans, I'm going
the way of Lester Bangs. Without the needles, though.
While 2001's full length Charged had it's moments, it sounded like the band needed a creative boot in the arse. Honestly, with Atomic Ritual, I haven't heard Nebula sound this fresh and energetic since the seminal and much-celebrated Sun Creature EP. It's hard to pinpoint the source of this 2nd wind of creative energy, but I'm thinking it has something to do with super-producer/Master of Reality mastermind and original desert rock icon Chris Goss behind the knobs. He seems to possess that X factor that brings out the best in the bands, both in respects to sound and songwriting. Looks like some of that voodoo that he do rubbed off on the mighty Nebula. Vocalist/guitarist Eddie Glass sounds like a man inspired. His guitar work was never in question, but here he seems to capture the ferocity of Jimi Hendrix with the passion of Carlos Santana. The rhythm section of Ruben Romano and Mark Abshire (now sadly departed amicably from the band due to unfortunate circumstances - hang in there Mark!) are a thing afire - beautiful to behold and tighter than a bull's behind during fly season. Tracks like "So It Goes", "More" and "Carpe Diem" highlight the pure driving rock ability of Nebula, while the slow-burning essence of the title track and "Out of Your Head" see the band drawing creative energy from it's more dynamic side. Atomic Ritual is a gem of a true rock n' roll record. Good to see Nebula back to it's old self. - Hellride Music.com |
| Hoisting ye olde freak flag high from the outset—Atomic Ritual’s titular opening track is a throbbing, superfuzz-bigmuff slab of Spacemen 3-meets-Hendrix overdrive—the three jolly rogers of the good ship Nebula never once pilot into the Sargasso of ‘70s sludge. Atomic Ritual is all swagger, no stagger, and whether chemically enhanced or not, the band fairly exudes lucid confidence across all 11 tracks. Most of the Nebula touchstones remain as fixed as points on a compass, including Stooges (death-trip spiral “So It Goes”), Blue Öyster Cult (sci-fi sex boogie “The Way To Venus”) and Mudhoney (tremolo-drenched riffer “The Beast,” which segues directly into the bad-trip wah-wah/fuzzarama of “Out Of Your Head”). Yet as with most badass psychedelia—which shouldn’t be confused with psych that’s just plain bad—Nebula’s genre worship doesn’t lead to a sonic cul-de-sac of stylistic regurgitation. The trio builds on an established, time-tested and rock-hard foundation, then sculpts a signature sound that’s deft in execution and more fun than watching a Hell’s Angels pool-cue assault in a biker bar. Nebula even manages to pull off some unexpected Southern-rock (tripled guitar parts) and glam (synths) moves without seeming forced. Producer Chris Goss helps the band achieve a ‘70s-worthy sound that avoids getting bogged down in the type of hirsute, ‘luded-out excess often associated with the era. - Magnet |