Monday 27 June 2016

Slow Season - Westing (Album Review)


Release date: July 08th 2016. Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Westing – Tracklisting

1.Y'WANNA 04:20
2.FLAG
3.THE JACKAL
4.SAUREKÖNIG
5.DAMASCUS 05:37
6.MIRANDA
7.MANIFEST ESCHATON
8.RAINMAKER

Band Members:

Daniel Story Rice
David Benjamin Kent
Hayden Doyel
Cody Tarbell

Review:

Psych Hard Rockers – Slow Season – have returned with their new album – Westing. It feels like only yesterday that the band released their superb debut album on RidingEasy Records. It’s good to see that Slow Season have continued their relationship with RidingEasy Records as that label has been on such a rich vein of form lately releasing so many great albums. Anyway, this is Slow Season’s time to shine and believe me they do. As their new album sees the band plays a more psychedelic style of classic/stoner/hard rock riffs.

Westing sees Slow Season create a heavier style of music. Opening track – Y’Wanna – flirts between 70s Psychedelic Hard Rock with focus on modern day Stoner/Fuzz Rock melodies. The vocals have a distinctive 70s blues rock vibe. You may think well that’s what their debut album sounded like. True, I will admit from my first listen of the album I thought exactly the same. However appearances can be deceiving as Slow Season adds layers of psychedelic rock with a highly polished Led Zepplin type feel.

Second track – Flag – has a real vintage feel to it as the guitars and vocals have a vintage feel to them. It’s quite an upbeat number with the band showing their talent for mixing Hard Rock riffs and psychedelic blues style vibes. The lyrical content maybe simply written but the guys sing with true style and conviction.

Third track – The Jackal – sees Slow Season manage to create their own anthemic style of classic rock merged with more modern fuzz style riffs. It’s played at a slow pace but the and still manage to create an air of excitement that fans of The Who and Led Zepp will appreciate.

Fourth track – Saurekonig – is perhaps the most far-out song on the album as the band blend trippy noises and riffs against their usual style of classic/hard rock riffs. The song has an almost tribal feel to it as Slow Season create a blues-rock based psychedelic movement that sees Saurekonig classed as the best song on the album.

Slow Season continue their heavy use of distorted psychedelic stoner/classic riffs on songs such as Damascus, Miranda and Rainmaker. The album builds up to an exciting climax on the final two songs with Manifest Eschaton and Rainmaker. Slow Season leave you wanting more on Westing as the album could have done with one more song to round things out. The production is first rate throughout as the album contains a cool and understated vintage feel.

Westing is a towering achievement and an album that will only enhance Slow Season’s reputation further.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dave at US/Them PR Group and Andy at Palmer Turner Overdrive from the promo. Westing will be available to buy via RidingEasy Records on CD/DD/Vinyl from July 8th 2016.

Links: