Release Date: July 23rd 2021. Record Label: Contessa Music. Format: CD/DD
Resolute - Tracklisting
1.Palace of Rain
2.Horsewhip
3.A Promise of Nothing
4.Seven Words
5.Eye One
6.Salome
7.Return to the Ships
Members
Kevin McNamara- vocals
Michael DiDonato - guitars
Scott Frassetto - drums and percussion
William Miller - bass
Review
The Age Of Truth are one of these Stoner Rock bands who seem to be one step ahead of the competition with their music coming from many different genres but bringing a Psychedelic and Spaced Out overflow that allows the band to bring a “mass-appeal” to their overall sound. The band turned heads back in 2017 with their acclaimed debut album Threshold and it’s one that still resonates with myself this day. It was a free-flowing style of Progressive ideas and Themes with The Age Of Truth playing every element of Hard Rock/Metal but still within the compounds of Stoner Rock/Metal.
4 Years later and are back with their second full length album - Resolute. The band have continued the dark imagery and messages of their debut but with more emphasis on Progression, Groove and Melody with the band going even with their Space Rock and Psychedelic Rock influences. The Age Of Truth cover a lot of ground with this album and the lyrical content has moved up another level from Threshold. I felt I was hearing the lovechild of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Mastodon with a little bit of CAVE-IN spaced out heaviness. Though, Resolute is still The Age Of Truth in control of their own creative futures and they excel on all levels.
The excellent two opening songs - Palace Of Rain and Horsewhip - have a “free-will” vibe to them especially with the superb lyrics and easy-going hard rock based grooves. The Age Of Truth do revel further more with their Progressive Rock attitude and it makes the listener feel more comfortable and they will easily admire the Grunge, Doom, Sludge and Blues Rock switches the band operate for the majority of this album.
Third song - A Promise Of Nothing - delivers some of the bleakest and uplifting parts of the record and even I started to recognize a “NOLA” vibrant energy amongst the faster grooves the band adapted for this song . The Post-Stoner movement of the song is highly energetic and a “Funkier” style of music show that The Age Of Truth are most definitely a “forward-thinking” band but they still manage to keep things fun and eerily addictive and where the hell did that fantastic quiet “Doom and Gloom” passage come from. Perhaps the standout song on the album.
The Age Of Truth continue with more “top-heavy” sonic exploration on the album with the Grunge/Stoner Rock part of the album perhaps coming off the strongest on songs such as: Eye One, Salome and Return To The Ships which will perhaps become the best parts of the album for people to listen to. As these are the longest tracks on the album, The Age of Truth has more creative freedom and time to explore their sound in a rich, creative and powerful way.
The Age Of Truth needed to deliver big with their 2nd album because Threshold was such a “monster” within the Stoner Rock/Metal scene and I’m pleased to say they’ve managed to deliver such a different, brilliantly thrilling and highly original record with Resolute.
Boosted by first-rate production values. Resolute has seen The Age Of Truth deliver another Album Of The Year Contender. Need I say anything more….
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to The Age OF Truth and Sheltered Life PR for the promo.
Resolute will be available to buy on CD/DD via Contessa Music from July 23rd 2021
Links:
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