Release
date: February
8th
2020. Label: Self
Released.
Format: DD
Fear
Of A Dead Planet
- Tracklisting
1.The
Eternal Void 06:21
2.Mind
Killer 04:24
3.A
Million Deaths 04:15
4.Nashwan
05:00
5.Entropy
04:56
6.Walk
the Earth 03:40
7.Iguanodon
04:23
8.Snake
Wizard 08:22
Members
Mark
Mundell - vocals
Malcolm
McKenzie - guitar
Kees
Hengst - bass
Dion
Harris - drums
Review
Planet
Of The Red (POTD) debut album – Fear Of A Dead Planet – is a
heavy atmospheric blend of Doom, Sludge, Fuzz and Stoner Metal with
bleak despairing vocals leading the way. The vocals can be more
“Death” based growls for some people’s tastes but the music is
perhaps the real star here and will no doubt allow listeners to
gravitate towards the band.
The
album is quite raw and down-tuned at times with a deep progressive
sound holding everything together. The gloomy atmosphere is evident
from the start with the excellent opening song – The Eternal Void –
which has a subtle Doom/Sludge Metal presence and never lets up with
it’s slow-to-mid paced grooves showing you what will be in store
for you for the whole album. The vocals are quite direct with the
harsh growls adding a more menacing vibe to POTD overall sound. The
song does take time to fully get going but there are some cool heavy
progressive riffs along the way.
Second
song – Mind Killer – opens with a creepy soundclip before a
standard Doom/Stoner Metal riff appears with vocals showing a
different side to POTD compared to the first song. The music is more
settled and you can hear a sense of adventure and fun within this
song but POTD know how to turn the mood sinister with violent and
gloomy “FUZZ” vibes on certain parts of the song. The song can be
quite psychedelic in places but it’s mostly felt and heard from the
background. POTD add many different styles of music to this song and
it could have easily fell out of place but the band play a wicked
blend of Doom/Stoner Metal that is quite adventurous in places.
Third
song – A Million Deaths – carries on with the harsh vocals but
with modern Sludge/Stoner Metal grooves leading the way. The song may
lack finesse but POTD bring their own despairing vision to the table
with bleak vocals and lyrics being the main focus for the most part
of the song. The heavy and twisted guitars feel almost too forced at
times but there are some great sounds hidden amongst the aggressive
style of music that POTD play here.
Fourth
song – Nashwan – carries on the thunderous and aggressive
attitude of the band with the raw atmosphere finally starting to make
sense. The vocals and lyrics aren’t the best but there is an
addictive quality to them which leaves you glued to the edge of your
seat. POTD start to play some of the best riffs on the album from
here on in and it makes for a more rewarding experience.
The
second half of the album carries on the dark and violent sounds that
POTD showed in the first half with quite a few epic guitar solos
adding a more psychedelic vibe that I didn’t actually expect.
If
you’re a fan of bands such as CONAN and Behold The Monolith then
POTD are the band for you. Fear Of A Dead Planet won’t be for
everyone but if you’re looking for a band who are not afraid to
play a more sinister blend of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal then this
is the place to be.
Whilst
not perfect by any means, POTD have still released a thrilling and
hugely entertaining album that is packed full of great ideas and
superb riffs.
Words
by Steve Howe
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