Release date: Sept 1st
2015. Label: Nasoni Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Down
With The Sun: Tracklisting
Six
Hands
Sun
Rodents
Sleepy
Desert Blues
Silver
Grey Sky
Moral
Panic
Band
Members:
Simen
Mathiassen – Drums
Sverre
Dalen – Bass
Jostein
Wigenstad – Guitar
Magnus
Riise - Guitar / Vocal
Review:
I
first became aware of Red Mountains earlier this year when they
released – Sun – from their forthcoming debut album – Down With
The Sun. Sun excited me quite a bit as it showed a band with a great
vision with all things Desert Rock, Psych Rock and Stoner Metal. The
song had me from the word go and I wanted to hear more. As it’s one
of the best Stoner Metal songs I’ve heard this year.
So
I was pretty excited to receive a promo for Red Mountains debut
album. Sun still remains the standout track on the album but the
other 5 tracks on the album are great in their own way. The thing I
like most about the album is how different the songs are to each
other. Red Mountains play through a maze of different genres, noises
and sounds.
Down
With The Sun is a very diverse album as you’re instantly drawn into
Red Mountains almost barren desert fuelled world. Opening track –
Six Hands – opens with a heavy guitar riff that oozes confidence
before the haunting vocals of – Magnus – appear. The lead vocals
have a slight 90s grunge vibe. This is primarily Stoner Metal
territory as Red Mountains create huge riffs that have a distinctive
psychedelic touch towards the end of the song. The atmosphere becomes
slightly subdued which allows Red Mountains to play a few impressive
guitar solos. The drumming is commanding through out as each member
shows you what they’re capable of even this early on the album.
Second
track – Sun – is a song I’ve been raving on about for the last
3 months or so when I first heard it. It’s a song that will send
chills down your spine. An intriguing mix of early Monster Magnet
style space rock riffs with the heavier desert/stoner metal vibes
from Stoner Metal innovators – Kyuss. The vocals only appear for a
couple of minutes before the song becomes an instrumental affair with
the band experimenting with their sound. Psychedelic/Desert Rock
sounds appear towards the end of the song as Red Mountains slow
things right down as the mood of the album becomes reflective and
more forgiving.
Third
Track – Rodents – is a more hard rock affair with the band
leaving the trippy psychedelics behind and creating a song that is
very different compared to the first two. Well for the first few
minutes the song is very different as Red Mountains become a 70s
Classic Rock inspired unit and then they return to normal spaced out
territory. The music becomes slightly psychedelic and the
Stoner/Desert vibes return with a bang. You do get the feeling that
Rodents is comprised of two different songs as the 2nd half is very
different from to the 1st half. Red Mountains deserve credit for
trying something different here by blending Classic Hard Rock with a
more modern Psych Stoner Metal sound.
Fourth
Track – Sleepy Desert Blues – is perhaps the trippiest and far
out there moment on the album. As it’s a mind-expanding journey
with Red Mountains channelling the sounds of The Doors. The trippy
and almost ambient psychedelic noises will appeal to fans of OM,
Kyuss and even Hawkwind. Red Mountains even find the time to play
some experimental jam-based riffs. It can be very slow at times but
that works to the bands advantage as there’s a lot going on with
this song. The drumming is the main standout here as they slowly
became the main focus with the guitars adding different layers of
noise that has echoes of 70s Progressive Rock.
Fifth
Track – Silver Grey Sky – is another epic from these trippy
rockers as once again Red Mountains prove how creative they can be.
As the band throw everything at you, Psych Rock, Space Rock, Desert
Rock, Stoner Rock are now joined by an Ambient Post-Rock sound as Red
Mountains will expand your mind into another dimension. The vocals
only appear for a few minutes before the crazy jam-based experimental
sounds transport you to the barren desert wastelands once again.
The
final track – Moral Panic – sees Red Mountains become slightly
possessed by the trippy vibes as they venture into more demonic
waters. The album has now gone full circle as Red Mountains return to
the realm of Stoner Metal with a more familiar sound created on the
first song. That doesn’t stop Red Mountains branching out into as
many different musical directions as they possibly can. Whatever mood
Red Mountains venture into, the album builds upto an exciting finish
and it’s a musical journey you want to experience as many times as
you can.
Down
With The Sun is an exceptional debut album from a band that has
created something special here. Red Mountains are going to make a
lasting impression within the Stoner Metal community with this album.
Down With The Sun is going to end up on a few Album Of The Year
lists. That’s how good it is. Ignore this album and miss out.
Simple as that!!
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Red Mountains for the promo. Down With The Sun will be available
to buy on DD/Vinyl from Nasoni Records from Sept 1st 2015.
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