2018's 'Wasteland" was the last album I checked out from these guys; granted, they only put out one release between that and this album. But things have changed somewhat, with a smoother 70s groove on the opening track. They go into proggier jams; amid some of the Sabbath-inspired boogies, the subtle shift in vocal production does not go unnoticed by me, as it is very clean and compressed, not unlike Ghost, whose producer has been taking notes from them, which makes sense because Ghost is headlining arenas and these guys are not. Not that that is the bar for how good music is, as these guys, even in their more relaxed, pot-smoking haze, have twice the balls of Ghost. However, this is the music business, and you have to know your audience.
The title track is a little more upbeat. These guys have never claimed to be metal, though they certainly have toured with metal bands. This album is more Blue Öyster Cult than Thin Lizzy for sure. Some of the twin guitar lines do recall early Iron Maiden in places as well. Some of the more extended jams take some of the focus from the song. "When Evil Wakes" has a pretty solid groove and vocal melody to ride it, which is all I want from these guys. "Don't Let It Control You" has more of a 70s punk feel where the rock n roll is firmly planted at its driving core.
"Pyscho on the Loose" has a cool, deliberate groove to it that is slightly darker around the edges, as it should be given the subject matter. They go into a more late-70s Sabbath groove on "I Won't Sleep". A random saxophone solo also joins the party. There is a more proto-metal palm-muted chug to "The Other Side of the Sky" that works well. The last song is more blues-based, which is still on brand for them but at the edge of their wheelhouse.I will give this a 9.5, and see if it grows on me, but very solid songwriting and slick production works great here, in maturing their sound.
7.7
No comments:
Post a Comment