ALBUM REVIEW: Faithless Rituals – Sky Valley Mistress
When you enlist the services of Dave Catching to co-produce your debut record, you just know you are onto something brilliant. The EAGLES OF DEATH METAL and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist is a bonafide legend in rock and roll and by lending his talents to Faithless Rituals, the debut offering from Blackburn-based rockers SKY VALLEY MISTRESS, they come storming out of the gates with one of the best albums to grace rock in recent years.
Oozing with swagger and attitude, Faithless Rituals hits the throttle and rarely takes its foot off the gas. “I want this to perforate your eardrums, have a fight inside your head and leave a slow burnin’ fire in the darkest part of your mind,” are the words of Catching as he introduces the record on A Faithless Ritual and in an instant, the one-two punch of You Got Nothin’ and Lost In Shock give an immediate impression to the quality at SKY VALLEY MISTRESS‘ disposal. Slick desert rock-driven riffing from guitarist Sean ‘Starsky’ Berry are utterly infectious whilst Kayley ‘Hell Kitten’ Davies‘ vocals are packed with the raw strength every solid rock vocalist needs to make a lasting impression.
From there, the band continue to dazzle and impress as their rock ‘n’ roll swagger is insatiably cool. Skull & Pistons‘ driving rhythms, neat harmonised vocals and roaring guitar leads propels the song to the top of your driving playlist, She Is So‘s swinging pacing contains musical surprises at every turn and Electric Church ensures the album finishes on a euphoric high as SKY VALLEY MISTRESS blast out one last anthem of their high-octane rock and roll. It’s clear that the band play to their strengths and there’s rarely a dull moment.
It’s not all pedal to the metal though. Punk Song is a mid-tempo number that boasts seductive bass tones from Russell Russell that compliment Davies‘ enticing vocals, building to an explosive release as the band switch gears and up the tempo. Similarly, It Won’t Stop dials back the intensity for a more psychedelic mood as SKY VALLEY MISTRESS whisk you away to the desert plains as Davies takes centre stage over the hushed sounds from her bandmates, allowing her vocal prowess to truly shine. And then there’s Blue Desert. Easily the strongest and most adventurous number in the band’s arsenal, this near eleven minute goliath is easily SKY VALLEY MISTRESS at their most experimental and boy, is it a phenomenal listen. From the intricate guitar leads that intertwine to Davies‘ strongest vocal deliveries on the entire record, the rip-roaring conclusion as the band explode into life or simply, the clever way in which the band play with the pacing thanks to the extra length of the song provides, Blue Desert stands as the prime cut on an album that is jam-packed full of quality.
SKY VALLEY MISTRESS have presented a monumental debut album with Faithless Rituals. Boasting quality from start to finish and packed to the brim with enough attitude to stand toe to toe with the biggest names in rock, Faithless Rituals is one of the strongest debut albums of 2020. It’s slick, confident, utterly cool and a thrill to listen to. Turn it up loud!
Rating: 9/10
Faithless Rituals is out now via New Heavy Sounds.
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