Release Date: February 14th 2025. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
The Poison Touch - Track Listing:
1. Digital Smoke
2. White Light Seeker
3. Mourning Devils
4. Spell Speaker
5. Holy Guide
6. Rat Bastard
7. The Sleeping Prophet
8. 29th Scroll, 6th Verse
Members
George Baba - Guitar/Vocals
Philip Bennett - Guitar/Vocals
Chris Tamez - Bass
Ethan Tamez - Drums
Review
Doom/Stoner Metallers Warlung take one step closer to greatness with their epic fifth album The Poison Touch which sees the band fully cooking on creative gas with an assorted melody of top-notch songwriting. The music is quite varied and vivid with sublime blends of Occult Rock, Doom, Stoner, Psych and good old fashioned HEAVY METAL passages.
The record builds upon the excellent work of their 2023 release Vulture’s Paradise with Warlung focusing more on melody, technical progression and musical composition on this record alone. The band seem to be having much more fun on this record which you can hear on the blistering opening track Digital Smoke which fuses the Proto-Doom sounds of the 1970’s with a killer modern day Post-Stoner Rock landscape starting to form with the bad-ass vocals from George Beba and Philip Bennett with both providing guitar duties.
Warlung are more closely linked to bands such as Blue Oyster Cult, ELDER and King Buffalo on this record whilst still developing their own original DOOM METAL dominated sound especially with the destructive and apocalyptic lyrics that accompany the excellent grooves, riffs and music. There are moments of downbeat and gloomy poppier soundscapes which are wonderfully vivid and wholly melodic especially on tracks such as White Light Seeker, Mourning Devils and Spell Speaker.
This is perhaps Warlung’s most “OCCULT” and “DOOM” obsessive record yet with the band exploring areas of music they haven’t played or touched upon before and they do this incredibly so well especially with the more progressive and outlandish parts of The Poison Touch. Everything is bigger and bolder on this album with swirling themes of Ambient Rock, Psych Rock and Spaced Out harmonies that sometimes add a dystopian flow to the record. This is perhaps the perfect soundtrack to listen to with the shitty current events going on in the world, however The Poison Touch is still a soulful and beautifully sonic musical adventure especially on the later stages of the record.
Warlung show a flare of outrageous guitar solos along the way which taps right into the classic heyday of HEAVY METAL showmanship which they’ve done on their previous record but this is perhaps where they impress the most. The technical ability of these guys is off the charts and with Chris Tamez (Bass) and Ethan Tamez (Drums) providing the muscular rhythm section for George and Philip to add multiple waves of thrilling guitar riffs throughout.
The Poison Touch is a record that can be admired by multiple different factions of the Heavy Rock scene as Warlung have almost every base covered with moments of Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Doom Metal, Proto Metal and Stoner Metal whilst still being foremost a true METAL record.
The production values are off the chart thanks to the excellent work done by Jacob Rodriguez on recording duties with Travis Weatherred (FOSTERMOTHER) on mixing and mastering duties helping as well. Two talented folks who know a thing or two on how to make a band standout within the underground scene and they do the business here.
The Poison Touch is perhaps Warlung’s standout record they’ve released to date which could easily be considered a GREATEST HITS package. That’s seriously how great this album is. This is without doubt an ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender. End Of.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
The Poison Touch is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds from Friday 14th February 2025.
Links
Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
