Release Date: May 15th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD
Red Desert - Tracklist
1.Fallen 05:57
2.Day Late Dollar Short 05:16
3.Searching 03:54
4.New Dawn 05:02
5.Big Top 04:55
6.Unkind Man 06:20
Review
Desert/Stoner Rockers Red Desert return after a six year absence with their latest self titled album which is full of heavy Fuzz Rock grooves that aims to bring a subtle Blues Rock and Grunge influence along the way. The record offers a highly methodical and classic style of Stoner Rock/Metal which is deeply rooted in the classic era of that legendary scene. The music is quite fast paced with Red Desert picking up where they left off with their excellent 2020 album Horizon.
The album is quite compact, running around thirty one minutes in length which means Red Desert offers a direct style of music with flashes of progressive momentum along the way. There’s influences by the likes of KYUSS, FU MANCHU, MONSTER MAGNET and TRUCKFIGHTERS which can be heard from the very start but Red Desert have been around long enough to create and play their own winning style of classic Stoner Rock. Songs such as Fallen, Date Late Dollar Short and Searching has a grounded delivery with those intense Desert/Fuzz Rock passages opting for a soulful GROOVE based delivery.
The vocals are quite gritty but still offer a cool modern day atmosphere which allows Red Desert to add a level of psychedelic energy when the time calls for this. Red Desert become a more vibrant band when the music transforms into a seedy style of Doom and Grunge which appears on Day Late Dollar Short where you can feel some epic ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN inspired lyrics leading the way.
There’s some great Spaced Out exploration within this album which took me a few listens to fully detect and wholly appreciate as this allows Red Desert to bring another Space Rock dimension into their music where they almost channel some classic SLEEP amplified distortion. The album is never boring and despite the short running time, the record feels essentially longer especially on the standout tracks of Day Late Dollar Short, New Dawn, Big Top and Unkind Man.
This is Red Desert’s most aggressive, heaviest and riff-fuelled record to date which should really be listened to by the biggest audience possible. The production values are off the scale thanks to the amazing work carried out by Nick Tveitbakk (Engineered, Produced and Mixed the album) and Kent Stump (WO FAT) who mastered the record. Those two great individuals know a thing or two of how to make a band sound HUGE and they allow RED DESERT to deliver the goods here.
Red Desert are a super tight unit who never disappoint and I’m hoping the guys don’t make us wait so long for their next release. As this is album is fucking good. Add this to your collection now!!!
Words by Steve Howe
Links
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram