Friday, November 15, 2024

November is Doom- High Desert Queen : "Palm Reader"

 





These Texans bring a blend of desert sounds and grunge grit to their cathedral of bong worship. It was the relaxed vocal melody that was able to flex into a more belted bellow when called for, and the grooving riff that sold me on checking this album out. There are of course jammy guitar solos to go along with this. This is the band's second album and the first to have the guitarist's daughter playing bass on the album. I am going to assume it's also her adding the vocals on the second song. 

There is more of a metallic drive to "Head Honcho". The vocals howl out with conviction. Judging by the recording it sounds like he has a pretty powerful voice when he belts it out. The song simmers a bit as their jam ebbs and flows, but it follows a marginally mellower path with the hazy atmosphere being brought to a boil when they step on the gas. In this way, it follows the path of Monster Magnet or Kyuss. There is a free-wheeling boogie to the title track that basks in the bluesy roots of Texas. The vocals are delivered in a more Clutch-like manner. 

"Time Waster" is a fuzzed-out jam. It sounds cool enough but the openering track showed they are capable of more, but even their playing around is pretty solid. "Tuesday Night Blues" is not the most blues-drenched song on the album, it ebbs and flows off a spoken verse, like something from the 90s; 
Solar Rain" works because it has a melodic counterpoint to the amped-up roar. I'll give this a 9.5 as it might just need to grow on me , as regular reader know I pick things apart most on first listen but this is the sort of thing that has most of the elements I want from this kind of stoner rock. 




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