Release Date: October 24th 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
Cloud Colony - Tracklisting
1. DOOMSDAY DARLING (3:40)
2. CLOUD COLONY (6:45)
3. ESCAPING ABSENCE (5:49)
4. CARAVAN (4:44)
5. EUROPA (5:37)
6. RIDERS OF TON 618 (5:14)
7. INTO THE SUN (KICK OUT THE JAMS) (3:44)
8. CERES (8:41)
Review
After releasing two acclaimed EP’s with 2024’s Dry Rivers and 2025’s Sky Offering, the cosmic entity known as Redwood returns with their latest full length album of Cloud Colony. This feels like a natural extension and musical evolution from what they achieved with Sky Offering but perhaps on a grander and more cinematic scope. The music is boosted by a classic Stoner Rock energy with moments of Warped Psychedelics and Spaced Out Doom that keeps them closely aligned to the likes of Howling Giant and King Buffalo.
Redwood wisely include elements of Fuzz, Heavy Metal and Garage Rock into their music which give Cloud Colony a grounded approach despite the COSMIC DOOM surroundings of the whole record. Everything is played at an aggressive fast pace with Redwood sounding like they’re bracing themselves for musical impact on all of the tracks.
There’s an essence of nineties sounding Alt Rock and Grunge that appears very early on in the record on the opening tracks of Doomsday Darling and Cloud Colony. These are musical moments that a certain MR WYNDORF would be proud to call his own especially the warped lyrics and sublime cosmic instrumental passages that the band are vastly becoming masters at.
The music can be quite flashy and supremely over the top at times but it’s superbly entertaining to fully experience and when Redwood goes SUPERSONIC in a big way, that’s where the real magic happens with areas of modern Sludge Rock appearing. The soulful melodies that I highlighted in my review for their last EP (Sky Offering) start making an appearance but Redwood always keep their finger on the Stoner Rock/Metal pulse on the excellent third track Escaping Absence. The vocals have a distanced approach and sound to them which allows the spaced out melodies to dominate the creative landscape.
Redwood start to show their love and appreciation with Classic Hard Rock as there’s a ton of epic guitar solos and musical passages being played throughout the album which once more could be considered EXCESSIVE in places but it’s one of the main strengths of the album. As Redwood never once play things safe with their music which only becomes louder, heavier and leaning heavily into the Space Rock and Stoner Metal vortex on tracks Caravan, Europa and Riders Of Ton 618. The mood and lyrics are brilliantly fantastical but with a gritty sense of realism that highlights the Desert Rock energy and influence of Redwood’s music.
The long drawn out soundscapes blend Progressive Stoner Metal heaviness and world building mysticism into the mix with Caravan and Riders Of Ton 618 being some of my favourite moments of the whole album. These tracks will appeal to long-time fans of Monster Magnet and Howling Giant the most but still allow Redwood to create their own musical legacy with a masterful blend of storytelling and vocal harmonies being shown.
Redwood have also reworked the classic MC5 track Kick Out The Jams with the superb seventh track Into The Sun. The song is quite different to the original but also eerie and familiar at the same time. The track is perhaps the most “GARAGE ROCK” offering of the whole album but with Redwood injecting their COSMIC DOOM surroundings into the mix.
The final track of Ceres is Redwood’s most daring and adventurous track yet with areas of Ambient Rock, Post-Rock and Shoegaze setting up the scene for their trademark SOULFUL strands of Doom/Stoner Metal to fully appear out of nowhere. The song does take time to bring everything together but once Redwood have that creative DNA solved, then be prepared for a highly majestic style of Psychedelic Instrumental energy that ends the album in the most perfect and outstanding way possible.
Redwood have delivered the goods yet again with Cloud Colony and this could allow the band to achieve bigger and better things within the whole scene. This is an EPIC album in every sense of the word!!!
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.
