Masters of Reality- The Archer (Album Review)

Whether you’ve heard of Masters of Reality or not, chances are good that you’ve listened to an album founder Chris Goss was involved with.  Goss was heavily involved as a producer with Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, and has also worked with artists like Lupe Fiasco and Foo Fighters.  Masters of Reality’s earlier works influenced a lot of later hard/alternative rock that would get tagged as desert or stoner rock, though each release in its scattered discography has covered a lot of different territory.  The one constant was a bluesy foundation, which was sometimes used for genuinely heavy and grittier songs while other moments found Goss and company mellowing out significantly.  Following 2009’s Pine / Cross Dover it was unclear when the next time we’d hear from Masters of Reality would be, as besides a few tours over the years the majority of Goss’ time remained focus on his work in the studio for other musicians.  But some sixteen years later the group is back with The Archer, which opts to move away from much of the heaviness and instead goes for a melodic and breezier sound.  It has some ups and downs, but when it hits The Archer showcases just how much ground Goss can cover while celebrating everything rock ‘n roll.

Goss may describe The Archer as a curveball in their discography, but it does feel like elements of this album’s sound were starting to emerge on Give Us Barabbas and Pine / Cross Dover.  The title track certainly does feel like a curveball with its placement as the opening song though, as its softer psychedelic melodies and breezier tone are a bit meandering and makes me feel like I started somewhere in the middle of the album.  It’s not a bad song by any means, as the warmness of the melodies suits Masters of Reality, but it is a bit low energy and it wasn’t until “I Had a Dream” that the hooks started to grab me.  On this track the bass takes over for a more soulful/bluesy groove and there’s a bounciness to the rhythms that prove to be very infectious.  There continues to be a back and forth between the more subdued songs and those that lean into fuller soundscapes as you make your way further into The Archer, and despite the somewhat shaky start of the first track the softer moments do come into their own.  Whether it’s the playful blues backbone of “Chicken Little” that leads into soaring layers of psychedelia drenched melodies or the dreamlike qualities of “Barstow”, there’s plenty here to keep listeners interested.  The Archer isn’t lacking some heavy moments either, as “Mr. Tap n’ Go” brings back some of the distortion on the guitars and lets the bass line have some real heft behind it, while “It All Comes Back To You” has some of the same moodiness and denser grooves as earlier cuts in Masters of Reality’s discography.  At times it feels like Goss’ love letter to his rock ‘n roll influences, as there’s a lot of ground from the 60s and 70s covered, but everything has been transformed into a style that’s unmistakably his.  I do have the same issue with closer “Bible Head” as the title track though, as while its funky groove is catchy it just kind of ends abruptly and isn’t as satisfying of a conclusion as I’d hoped for.  But even with these lulls and sequencing issues, when this material hits its peak it has some stunning melodies and memorable grooves that have drawn me back.

With the instrumentals heading into mellower territory for a good portion of The Archer, it makes sense that Goss would follow suit with his singing.  These elements have always been present in Masters of Reality’s material, but when you hear the more introspective and airier singing on the title track it becomes clear that the approach is a bit different this time around.  Songs like “Chicken Little” let Goss soar over the recording and when he layers some harmonies in they fill your speakers with somber beauty.  What continues to be impressive about the vocal performance is how varied it is, as each song sounds a bit different from the last.  On “Barstow” the singing drops down in pitch a bit and the cadence is reminiscent of Jim Morrison, while “It All Comes Back To You” has more of a brooding 90s sound.  It’s a reminder of the versatility Masters of Reality has in all aspects of its music, and even after four decades Goss still sounds flawless.

The Archer has some ups and downs, as the placement of its opening and closing tracks makes for some strange pacing and there are a couple of lulls.  Yet when it all comes together and the fusion of psychedelia, 60s/70s rock, blues, and everything in between reaches its peak it’s clear that Goss can still deliver some incredible riffs and vocal work.  It’s not necessarily the best starting point for those new to Masters of Reality, but if you’ve been with the group for awhile there’s plenty here to keep you satisfied and the change in sound hints at even more potential directions for Goss to explore.  Hopefully it won’t be another decade and a half to find out exactly what that may be, but for now I’m happy to have this group back in my stereo.  The Archer is available from Mascot Records.

-Review by Chris Dahlberg