Wheelfall - From The Blazing Sky At Dusk
This is the debut work from French stoner band "Wheelfall". The band gets its name from the Slo Burn track of the same name and the similarities don't end there. I don't know much at all about the band so i have to judge this CD on the music alone and i am pleased to do so because this is a worthy addition to your Stoner/Desert Rock collection. There is eight tracks on the EP with a few interludes that don't achieve too much i am sorry to say lads. The musical influences are rather obvious, Slo-Burn, Goatsnake, Unida and Dozer spring to mind but they are delivered with a much more straight-forward metal edge than most of those bands in my opinion. The EP kicks off with a intro that is rather un-impressive and the weakest point on the whole CD before it is all put to rest with a barn-storming second track called "Through The Desert". This tune is riff-rock par-excellence, beginning with pummeling drums and a over the top main riff, the track is a short and sweet barrage of whiskey-soaked hard rock. The vocals are of the raspy-gritty variety that push out a aggressive quality while still retaining a sense of melody.
Better still is "New Flesh" which has a kind of Orange Goblin swagger, chunky, crunching riffing with the odd Zaak Wylde guitar squeal. "New Flesh" has a "Hole In The Sky by Sabbath" type of riff-line that pulverizes but like the Sabbath tune is totally infectious and instantly addictive. "Blazing Sky Nasa" is a very strange instrumental interlude with weird squeaks, electronic noises and spacey sounds. Very disjointed i must say but kind of enjoyable just the same, maybe just another rocking track might have been a better option though. Its a little long, short on ideas and disrupts the flow of the EP a little too much for my tastes. "Troops Of The Dead" is another, powerful riff fest from Wheelfall. The raspy vocals work wonders on this number, pushing energy and aggression to another level on the EP. The guitar work is solid but not exactly original but they have some interesting twists along the way. The slow break in "Troops Of The Dead" shows the band has some skills in the tasty lead break department. The longest track comes in the form of "Brotherhood Of Sleep", a slow, rolling doomy riff carries the song for its 6 minutes with more tasty lead breaks and squeals. At least they don't overdo the squeals like Zaak Wydle does, thank god!
A break in the song provides a gentle build up featuring the drums before it all charges to a controlled but sudden ending. Not a bad track but hardly a highlight.
The best song title award on this EP goes to the next track, its called "Anthropophagous Astro Bastards". Here the vocals sound remarkably like Earthride's Dave Sherman, must be the way he drags out the vocal lines on this one. This tune has more the same, nice guitar distortion, cool twisting riff work and lead sections and crunchy passages that sound a bit too good for a self-produced release. The EP ends the way it started with another brief interlude called "At Dusk". Overall the this is a fine EP but i am not sure about the interludes, not too sure they amount to much apart from taking up precious time. The rest of the EP is great stuff though, very well produced for a self-release and played by quality musicians that obviously know their chops. The EP is available for free download from their Myspace page, go check it out.
Better still is "New Flesh" which has a kind of Orange Goblin swagger, chunky, crunching riffing with the odd Zaak Wylde guitar squeal. "New Flesh" has a "Hole In The Sky by Sabbath" type of riff-line that pulverizes but like the Sabbath tune is totally infectious and instantly addictive. "Blazing Sky Nasa" is a very strange instrumental interlude with weird squeaks, electronic noises and spacey sounds. Very disjointed i must say but kind of enjoyable just the same, maybe just another rocking track might have been a better option though. Its a little long, short on ideas and disrupts the flow of the EP a little too much for my tastes. "Troops Of The Dead" is another, powerful riff fest from Wheelfall. The raspy vocals work wonders on this number, pushing energy and aggression to another level on the EP. The guitar work is solid but not exactly original but they have some interesting twists along the way. The slow break in "Troops Of The Dead" shows the band has some skills in the tasty lead break department. The longest track comes in the form of "Brotherhood Of Sleep", a slow, rolling doomy riff carries the song for its 6 minutes with more tasty lead breaks and squeals. At least they don't overdo the squeals like Zaak Wydle does, thank god!
A break in the song provides a gentle build up featuring the drums before it all charges to a controlled but sudden ending. Not a bad track but hardly a highlight.
The best song title award on this EP goes to the next track, its called "Anthropophagous Astro Bastards". Here the vocals sound remarkably like Earthride's Dave Sherman, must be the way he drags out the vocal lines on this one. This tune has more the same, nice guitar distortion, cool twisting riff work and lead sections and crunchy passages that sound a bit too good for a self-produced release. The EP ends the way it started with another brief interlude called "At Dusk". Overall the this is a fine EP but i am not sure about the interludes, not too sure they amount to much apart from taking up precious time. The rest of the EP is great stuff though, very well produced for a self-release and played by quality musicians that obviously know their chops. The EP is available for free download from their Myspace page, go check it out.
1. From The...
2. Through The Desert
3. New Flesh
4. Blazing Sky (Nasa)
5. Troops Of The Dead
6. Brotherhood Of Sleep
7. Anthropophagous Astro Bastards
8. At Dusk
