This Nebraska-based metal, combines sludge with a more fiery brand of anthem hard rock thanks to the soaring vocals of Kate Lewis. The riffs are hooky, and the opening track kicks the door in with the kind of energy you want from a metal album. There is a more traditional metal gallop on "The Dead Follow". In some ways, this picks up where Royal Thunder, as she carries a similar blues-drenched alto that can be carried up into a belted upper register.
"Send Me Down' is bombastic as the two previous song, but does not hook me in as infectiously, perhaps because they are keeping things to such an in-your-face intensity, which is almost like Clutch in that regard. They do find a more bong-water-coated groove for "Witch Hunt," which is marginally darker, though the emphasis is clearly on rocking your face off.
They hit the best blend of what they do and write their best song when backing off into more of a groove for "The Demonstration." There is a more overt metal mood to her melodies, rather than the blues belting that is often her mainstay approach; this performance is more nuanced and sets up the hooks well. The lyrics feel like they are more personal to give the song more weight. Her pipes seem to be more empowered as her airbags push the higher notes out of the park. This is an impressive display from this band. I will give it a 9 if you want a female-fronted hard rock band that understands the assignment and gets the job done better than most. Give this album a listen.
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