Release Date: March 27th 2026. Record Label: Electric Desert Records. Formats: CD/DD.
Midnight Sun - Tracklisting
1.Midnight Sun
2.Bury It
3.Skull Bong
4.Ashes I See
5.Let Me Out
6.Broken
7.Slow Steal
8.Iron Smile (feat Bob Balch)
9.Judgment Day
Members
Dave - Bass/Vocals
Chuck - Drums/Backing Vocals
Pete - Guitars/Vocals
Review
Doom/Stoner Metallers The Crooked Skulls mean business with their debut album Midnight Sun where they embrace a hard-edged style of Stoner Metal that’s inspired by the likes of Corrosion Of Conformity, DOWN and Crowbar. The band never forget the usual suspects of influences with KYUSS, Black Sabbath and FU MANCHU being heard within the whole album.
The sounds are HEAVY, POWERFUL and superbly MELODIC with The Crooked Skulls adding a jagged Psychedelic and Desert Rock movement along the way. The tracks all follow a similar path to each other as The Crooked Skulls offer a Doomed Out Atmosphere which allows the FUZZ METAL attitude of the album to fully emerge on tracks such as Midnight Sun, Bury It and Skull Bong,
The Crooked Skulls can be quite an aggressive and pissed off band when the mood calls for it. Though, the excellent vocals from everyone keeps everything grounded with the music flirting between Classic Nineties Stoner Metal, Pure Heavy Metal grooves and modern day Psychedelic soundscapes. Midnight Sun does have a more straight forward creative outline with the band not progressive anyway which is a real bonus as The Crooked Skulls just play good old fashioned STONER METAL which I fully embrace especially on other standout tracks of Ashes I See, Let Me Out, Broken and Iron Smile where a certain BOB BALCH provides epic guitar solos for.
So the band must have some real talent if they can call upon the likes of Bob Balch for one of the riffiest and standout tracks on the album. You also have the legendary Kent Stump (WO FAT) helping out with engineering duties which gives the whole album a gritty and determined approach. Nothing is overdone with the sound being used to great advantage by The Crooked Skulls that results in some sublime DOOMED OUT passages appearing on the later stages of the album.
Midnight Sun is a splendid and superbly entertaining debut album that never outstays its welcome. The Crooked Suns are absolutely ON FIRE here with a record that should impress the Stoner Metal community from the very start.
Words by Steve Howe
Midnight Sun is available to buy now on CD/DD via Electric Desert Records.
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