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Release Date: March 13th 2026. Record Label: From The Urn Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Emerald Dream - Tracklisting
I - Howling Hammer
II - Pyre Of Love
III - Psychoïd Telepath
IV - Quest For Fire
V - Emerald Dream
VI - Time Gambler
VII - Shapeshifter
VIII - Stardust Regulator
Members
Alex Bigras - Guitars
Snake St-Louis - Drums
Vick Trigger - Bass
Chub - Synths/Organ/Backing Vocals
Jim Laflamme - Lead Vocals/Tambourine
Review
FANGUS debut album Emerald Dream is an intoxicating mix of Psych, Acid Rock, Doom Rock, Proto-Metal, Occult Rock, Blues Rock and Stoner Rock. The album is quite wild and wickedly vivid with how FANGUS blend different genre conventions with an outlandish premise that pushes the boundaries of Heavy Psychedelic music.
The music is mostly sourced from the legendary sounds of the Sixties and Seventies scenes with the band never venturing into modern day themes. This makes the album quite a cool sounding and hip leaning slice of RETRO ROCK with a great attitude to match.
The record starts off spectacularly heavy and fast paced through the opening tracks of Howling Hammer, Pyre Of Love and Psychoïd Telepath which relies quite heavily on the extraordinary talents of Chub who provides an amazing array of Synths, Organs and sublime backing vocals along the way. His performance was what instantly drew me in at first though the rest of the band are amazing musicians as well with all them putting in first rate performances. Though, it took me a few listens to actually listen to each individual performance on certain sections of the album.
The lead vocals from Jim Laflamme feels like he was brought up on a steady diet of The Doors, Black Sabbath, Led Zepp, Alice Cooper, MC5 and The Who with his vocals having a slightly grizzled Classic Rock and Heavy Rock feel. The album does lean into early Seventies Proto-Doom metal records with a sudden outburst of Heavy Psych and Garage Rock making the album sound quite heavier and vindictive at times. The Occult Doom themes become the most interesting aspect on the later stages with FANGUS feel like they’re developing a soundtrack for a lost classic horror movie that’s being discovered for the very first time.
Everything is bloody OVER THE TOP and insanely dramatic but you can’t deny how beautifully melodic and insanely addictive the album is at the same time. The record moves to more demented areas of Occult Rock with some amazing FREAK-OUT instrumental passages courtesy of some wonderful guitars laid down by Alex Brigas.
There’s also a slightly Ritual and Tribal aspect to Emerald Dreams that starts to break through on tracks such as Quest For Fire, Emerald Dreams, Shapeshifter and Stardust Regulator where the album does have a minor Space Rock aspect starting to form which allows the album to become ever more unpredictable.
The production values are outstanding which allows FANGUS to transport not only themselves but also the listener to another forbidden dimension told through the power of music.
Emerald Dreams doesn’t feel like a debut album. This feels like a greatest hits collection with FANGUS providing their best musical output for a new legion of followers to discover for the very first time in the present day. That’s the best way I can describe Emerald Dreams and I’m have no doubt that FANGUS will start to build quite a loyal cult following within the underground scene thanks to this superb album.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Emerald Dreams is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via From The Urn Records.
Links
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