Release Date: October 18th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Format: CD/DD
Dead Planet Exodus - Track Listing:
1.Crashdown
2.Temple of the Rain
3.Shilluminati
4.Dead Planet
5.Darkness
6.Midnight Comes
7.Never
8.Temporal Vampires
9.Crimson Mountain
10.The Fallen
Members
Tony Salvaggio - Bass, Vocals
Morgan Faber - Drums
Kotah Womack - Guitar (2024)
Dead Planet Exodus Guests:
Bradley Barnes - Guitar ("Crashdown", "Temple of the Rain")
Jeff Henson - Rhythm and Lead Guitar Wizardry
Jeff Klein - Interstellar Rhythm and Lead Guitar
Review
Austin, Texas based Desert/Doom/Stoner Metallers Deserts Of Mars finally release their second album Dead Planet Exodus following their 2011 debut album Transmission which I’m a huge fan of to this very day. The band did release a superb EP called Return From The Void in 2019 but this is perhaps the main event for Deserts Of Mars to become more well known with. As Dead Planet Exodus is a comprehensive take on the modern day Stoner Metal sound which includes other areas of Heavy Rock to give it a stylish and highly original sound of their own making.
Deserts Of Mars blend Psychedelia, Space Rock, Fuzz, Grunge and Industrial Rock for a record that takes the ever popular Post-Stoner or Post-Doom sounds then give it a more APOCALYPTIC feeling with distorted rhythms and subtle melodies which is put to great effect with the excellent opening tracks Crashdown and Temple Of The Rain.
With a similar sound to King Buffalo, Howling Giant and ELDER developing in the early stages of the record with Deserts Of Mars going off script into more Doomed Out Environments with sublime instrumental passages being played at a catchy and aggressive pace. There’s a sense of distorted optimism within the seedier Industrial, Grunge and Sludgy beats that keeps the music quite grounded despite the Science FIction theme of the whole album.
The record wastes no time at all in creating an all conquering style of Intergalactic Fuzz which allows Deserts Of Mars to fully sell their OTT creative vision of Return From The Void across within every spellbinding track of the whole album. Deserts Of Mars impress the most when they allow their Grunge, Psych and Space Rock sound to take over with a demanding presence which manifests into some stunning heavy and fuzzed up musical interplay between all band members.
The sound can be quite deafening at times even within the uplifting Psych Rock and Post-Stoner tracks of the record as you can feel something heavier lurking behind you that fully takes over especially on tracks such as Shilluminati, Dead Planet, Darkness, Crimson Mountain and The Fallen being the other standout tracks on the album.
Tony Salvaggio (Bass/Vocals) has stated what fuels Desert Of Mars as the following: “a steady diet of sci-fi movies, novels, manga, animation, RPGS, and metal fuels me and bleeds into the rest of the band. I’ve been a nerd first and a metalhead for a very long time, and I’ve never grown out of that quest for the next fun thing to watch/read/listen to half a century into life. I feel like if I lose that sense of wonder, it’s over. Always be learning/listening/creating."
Though, you’ll be surprised to hear that there’s some real life experiences being used within the creative fabric of some of the lyrics written for the album. Desert Of Mars are also quite adept at experimenting with digitized vocals, synths, ambient sounds and quirky industrial beats that makes Dead Planet Exodus such a vast and brilliantly inventive record that has some cool moments where the band pays homage to the classic era of Stoner Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in general.
Dead Planet Exodus has a true “CINEMATIC” feel that allows this to ultimately become one of the freshest and outstanding albums you’ll hear this year.
It may have taken the band over thirteen years to release this album but it’s been worth the wait and I’m hoping the underground Doom/Stoner Metal scene embrace this album for the brilliant album that it truly is.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.
Dead Planet Exodus will be available to buy on CD/DD from Friday 18th October 2024.
Links
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
