Review: Semantron ‘Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart’
Dave French is best known for his work as the incredible drummer of the legendary stoner doom band Yob, but little do most people know that he is also a talented multi-instrumentalist and profound musical visionary.
For the past several years, he has been crafting songs with a classical guitar on the road, in hotel rooms, backstage, as well as other places, which have culminated into this solo album.
The recording of the core guitar tracks began while he lived in an off-grid cabin at the foot of Mt. Adams in Washington state in 2023. While there in the remote woods, aside from recording guitar parts, field recordings of the natural world were made – sounds of owls and ravens, alpine winds, rivers, stoner percussion from mountain talus slopes, rhythms played on living trees, even the dripping of meltwater from a glacier. These were then sculpted into the final soundscapes when French left the cabin and entered the studio to lay down the remainder of the album, adding drums, bass, electric guitar and vocals.
The result of that journey culminated in the solo project Semantron. It was named after an ancient monastic instrument composed of beech wood struck rhythmically with branches to call monks to meditation. The title of this work of sheer beauty and brilliance is Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart, the name influenced by the alpine phenomenon of Krummholz, trees near the limits of survival that become bent and twisted by relentless wind and harsh weather. Inspired by those very trees, French thought of a metaphor of a heart that has been shaped by the forces of life yet still rooted and alive, and thus we have the Krummholz heart.
This album is full of spacious and magnificent songs with profoundly astonishing and musically mesmerizing musicianship. It’s gloomy yet uplifting, haunting yet inspiring, with a very doom-type vibe, all very meditative in effect and purpose. The album is a work of solemn, somber impeccable beauty, slow in its progressions with many intricately placed sections from a wide variety of instruments and sounds. Layers of lush, gorgeous melodies comprise all six of the compositions, which clock in at a total of forty minutes.
The first track, Primary Planets, begins with slow, enticing guitar, drum and bass work very reminiscent of the more psychedelic sounds of classic ‘90s alternative rock and Seattle grunge (French is closely associated with many of the OG originators of the genre having played with figureheads such as the underground legend Tad Doyle of the famed TAD, along with recording and producing a record for Ben Shepard of Soundgarden). The song is everything anyone nostalgic in hearing the trippy side of the 90’s scenes re-imagined in 2026 would want. His gruff vocals are superb, conjuring the likes of Mark Lanegan in depth and mysteriousness.
a flawless example of stunningly exquisite experimental rock music…
The second song, Prisoner Of The Sun has an industrial sound, but with an edge of bleakness and doom. Moving on to our third venture, At The Feet Of Friendship, we have an epic track here. There are psychedelic, reverb-drenched guitars with synth, bass and slow, thunderous drum work. The song seems like it could be echoing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moonera but with a modern touch of doom.
Next is Piha, which is perfectly accomplished melodic doom. The guitar work has a Spanish origin to its sound, but it’s a very original piece with an experimental flavor. Dry Falls follows, and is the ideal example if one were to name a new genre called ‘western doom’ as it brings to mind dark images of the old wild west.
Ending our majestic journey is Krummholz Heart, a finale of wondrous elegance in acoustic guitar work, drums and bass. The vocals portray an emotional toil of a heart shaped by the forces of life, yet the ultimate creation of inner strength and gladness felt by life’s trials and tribulations. The song progresses into a conclusion of a heavy tribal atmosphere that brings to mind Neurosis or Soundgarden at their most dazzling. It’s the perfect end to an album that has been so delectably tasteful and varied in style.
Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart will leave an indelible and lasting impact upon its listeners. It is an experience of pure listening bliss sure to inspire awe by its overwhelming greatness. An endeavor of vast proportions achieving monumental significance, it is an album that will stand the test of time as a flawless example of stunningly exquisite experimental rock music.
Label: Independent
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Maxwell Seeman
