Balero - After the End (2010)

   Stoner rock is basically a quite simple and repetitive style, and it's biggest advantage is that it easily could define the term "generic rock music". That's mostly because of it's essential '70s roots that are inevitable to refer to for any stoner band, but the typical '90s sound and style in which the old school was embedded, also counts kind of retro nowadays.

   Balero debuted in 2006 with a short but great EP as an instrumental stoner/groove metal band. Their musical approach seemed to focus more on the essentials of the style and it's slow, nearly barely sensable development since it was formed by bands like Kyuss and Sleep. Even though stoner rock seems to stay idle, and it's '70s influences and still strongly notable '90s origins making it evergreen, it's changing too by getting mixed with other styles. Balero's music also sounds refreshing because they tried to keep up with the changes of the main scene by involving groovy influences. Most other experimenting bands used to select a different path by getting closer to doom or sludge metal to focus on heavier or more psychedelic sound. These are the most common combinations, and these usually keeping the bands underground. To involve a more mainstream style like groove metal makes the main view audience friendlier and modern by pointing on a possibly successful style renewal. The music didn't lose it's psychedelic touch, but it's importance decreased, and the intense, groovy themes and the heavier sound are in focus. This change could be only compared to the method how stoner rock was formed about 2 decades earlier from the mix of hard rock and the actual trends and sound of the '90s to gather both old school and young fans. However, Balero didn't become the herald of a revolutional style renewal unfortunately, because instrumental music was somehow never able to gain wide audience, but their music introduced a way that certainly could work.