This band blends varied sounds of metal's past. The vocals remind me of the Scorpions. The guitars sit back in a chug that allows the vocals to take center stage in a way that harkens back to when these sorts of bands dominated the airwaves. These guys have the songwriting chops to emulate that which is better than most. There is more of a rock n roll feel to the second song. He sounds less like Klaus here. 'Windowpane' feels like it would be an Aerosmith song from the late 80s, as it's too slick to be tossed in with hair metal. It's the kind of arena-ready hard rock that was once more prominent. I'm glad these guys are students of it. Not sure why they are being marketed as a stoner rock band though. They are closer to hair metal than Kyuss.
"Only Alive' is closer to metal, though it's more like Dokken's brand of metal, without any of the falsetto yodeling. These guys are not shy about guitar solos but write pretty tasteful ones. Lyrically "Acid Burns" feels like they are aware of drugs, but do not sound like they are making music for doing them. 'James Motel" is the first song that comes close to being stoner rock. I like the first song that was more Scorpions better. It feels like when the bands from the 80s found themselves in the mid-90s and realized they had to go grunge to survive. Case in point "The Spell" sounds like it could have been a b-side from W.A.S.P's "Headless Children" album.
I am more enthused for the touch of the Scorpions returning for "Onward". It has one of the album's best guitar solos if that is your kind of thing. I had wanted to hear this guy's upper register and he belts up into it making his voice just find of crack, so we never get a falsetto from him. The last track is more of an outro. Overall I enjoyed this album it took me back to a place in the 80s I once loved. I will give it a 9, and see if it grows on me.
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