Release Date: June 12th 2026. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records / Kozmik Artifactz. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Focus - Tracklisting
1.That Cold Goliath
2.Concrete Halloween
3.It's All Simone
4.Sarissa
5.Corporal Upham
6.Troublesome Priest
7.Focus
8.Greener
9.Words
10.That Cold Goliath (Might Return)
11.Holy Envy
Members
Tripp Shumake - guitar/vocals
Matthew Qualls - guitar
Wally Anderson - bass
Eric Garcia - drums
Review
Heavy Blues Rockers The Heavy Eyes make a welcome return after a six year absence with their latest album Focus which is superbly named as this is perhaps their most focused, biggest and boldest album yet. However, there’s a sense of retrospection that appears within the album as the band write some emotionally engaging lyrics for this record. The record does start off quite low-key with the excellent slow-paced track of That Cold Goliath that blends Classic Rock and a sullen Blues Rock sound then all hell breaks loose after this song finishes.
The Heavy Eyes go all guns blazing with a mighty new found “SONIC” energy in their creative step with the stunning second track Concrete Halloween where there’s a glorious Garage Rock, Punk Rock and Stoner Rock delivery appearing on different stages of the track. There’s a thrilling Seventies Hard Rock identity that’s always bursting to get out from the seams with a distorted Fuzz Rock swagger that comes the band’s main weapon of choice to deliver those delicious heavy grooves.
The majority of the tracks only last around three minutes and four minutes in length so there’s not many progressive sounding moments which gives this record a classic “ALL KILLER & NO FILLER” approach. The record is filled with a ton of never-ending instrumental solos that feels likes The Heavy Eyes have been studying the legendary artists that influenced them and put their own great spin especially on tracks such as It’s All Simone, Sarissa, Corporal Upham, Focus, Words and That Cold Goliath (Might Return).
As stated previously earlier in the review, The Heavy Eyes have a new found heavy reliance on Psychedelic and Sonic melodies which is perhaps the creative glue that holds everything together. Though, the classic sound they’ve delivered on earlier records is still fully intact here. However, the sound has a more magnificent Psych Rock flow which allows the record to be quite heavy than you initially expect. The stripped back production values aligns the band more closely to the likes of The Who and The Rolling Stones with that impressive musical delivery that transports you back to the great days of the Classic Hard Rock scene.
There is a distinctive Doom Rock and Proto-Metal vibe that does appear when you least expect this with sludgy, dirty and fuzzy guitars becoming the more dominant sound on the later stages of the record. The Heavy Eyes have always been one of those bands always willing to experiment with their sound with every album they’ve released to date and this is no different. There’s a rich storytelling aspect appearing within this album that allows every track to tell its own distinctive story.
Focus is pure blockbuster entertainment with grooves of the highest order and proves why The Heavy Eyes are one of the most important Heavy Blues Rock bands the scene currently has right now.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.