Wednesday 27 July 2022

Early Moods - Early Moods (Album Review)


Release Date: August 05th 2022. Record Label: RidingEasy Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl


Early Moods - S/T - Tracklisting

1.Return To Salem's Gate 2.Live To Suffer 04:24 3.Early Moods 4.Defy Thy Name 5.Memento Mori 6.Last Rites 7.Curse The Light 8.Damnation 9.Funeral Macabre

Members


Eddie Andrade - Guitar

Elix Feliciano - Bass

Oscar Hernandez - Guitar

Alberto Alcaraz - Vocals

Chris Flores - Drums


Review


Early Moods debut self-titled album shows a band fully aware of the sounds and influences that can easily be heard on this album. Combining 70's Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk Rock and Doom Metal with a streetwise attitude. The vocals and lyrical content are inspired by the 80s Heavy Metal scene with the band breaking into HEAVY DOOM vocal passages with a frantic fast-paced Punk Rock environment.


Early Moods is a band operating in the classic sounds of Doom Metal/Heavy Metal and whose debut album is downright brilliantly entertaining and the killer guitar solos feel inspired by the guitar virtuoso legends of the 1980's leave you wanting to hear more. The album does feel like a classic Black Sabbath or Saint Vitus record being released for the first time today though with a few nods to the heavy hitters of the 70's/80's Hard Rock/Heavy Metal scene.


The whole tone of the album is one of REBELLION and Early Moods kick up a whole range of trouble on tracks such as: Return To Salem's Gate, Live To Suffer, Early Moods and Broken. As the band moves from classic sounding Doom Punk and Heavy Metal. Each member gets the chance to impress with the multitude of different genres being quite catchy and aggressive at the same time. The whole tone of the first four opening songs is pitch perfect with Early Moods adding bleak gloom based atmospherics to the album with whatever style of music they decide to play for that particular  song. 


Early Moods captured my attention the most with the changing of 80's Heavy Metal Guitars to a faster change of style that reminds of Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Budgie and Metallica in places. The vocals are impressive when they stay clean based or for a more dominant aggressive growl on certain stages of the song.


The band continue with their threatening and "in-yer-face" style of music slowly moving further into the Doom Rock/Metal arena. The band play heavier grooves and become bolder with their creative choices on the later stages of the album. More wicked and despairing vocals with a heavy metal attitude that you don't normally hear or associate with the underground "DOOM" scene. 


Other standout songs include: Memento Mori, Funeral Rites, Curse Of The Light and Funeral Macabre.


Even though we hear many familiar sounds, influences and themes on this album. Early Moods have managed a truly captivating and original Doom Metal sound of their own. They have taken a "Sandbox" approach with the record and blend the best elements of Doom Metal and Heavy Metal for a gloomy and riff-tastic adventure. This album is jam-packed with epic guitar solos and ballsy vocals to match.


This record has more than enough blasts of DOOM METAL FIREPOWER for Early Moods to make themselves more known with. This is dynamite entertainment. If you grew up on a steady diet of 70's Doom Metal and the thrilling spectacle of 80's Heavy Metal then these guys are the real deal. 


Early Moods debut self titled release is a must have album.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to RidingEasy Records for the promo.


Early Moods self titled album will be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via RidingEasy Records from August 5th 2022.


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