ALBUM REVIEW: Low Desert Surf Club – Fire Down Below
The Flemish Region of Belgium is world-renowned for its rich history of trade and power of Flanders during the Medieval era. It hosts a number of picturesque medieval cities including Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent, the latter boasting two monasteries in which Einhard (the biographer of the mighty Charlemagne no less) was appointed as abbot for both in 800. It is also the home to the incredibly ferocious Belgian riff machine FIRE DOWN BELOW. Having first stepped into the spotlight in 2016 with their self-released debut Viper Vixen Goddess Saint, the quartet of Kevin Gernaey (lead guitar), Sam Nuytens (drums), Jeroen Van Troyen (guitar, vocals) and Bert Wynsberghe (bass) have been on a non-stop, white knuckle ride ever since.
Bursting back into public consciousness with their third album Low Desert Surf Club, the world will see a new version of FIRE DOWN BELOW mercilessly unleashed. With the aim of doing things differently this time around, the Belgian quartet brought in ELDER frontman Nick DiSalvo to produce the album. This marks the first time the band have worked with a producer and as a result Low Desert Surf Club is a bombastic collaboration between a veteran of the scene and a fiercely passionate, fuzz-soaked band.
Taking their cues and inspiration from the Californian desert, the nine groove-laden and sunbaked tracks channel a plethora of positive vibes as you scream across the Californian desert in a VW with a rocket on it. There is a brilliant, awe-inspiring positivity surrounding this record; fuelled by the isolation of the lockdowns the band’s vision was to create music that would sound like a constant adventure and they have achieved that and then some. With the added production nuances from DiSalvo, this is the strongest body of work FIRE DOWN BELOW have released.
In comparison to 2018’s Hymn Of The Cosmic Man, Low Desert Surf Club is significantly more intense and energetic. Riffs are ten a penny and they come thick and fast; you find yourself ceaselessly tapping your foot and nodding your head throughout the duration of the album. With that in mind, FIRE DOWN BELOW have moved slightly away from some of the more spacey and psychedelic elements of their sound in exchange for chunky, earthy, bluesy grooves. While some of the spacier elements are still interspersed throughout the album, they take the form of surf rock whammy bar dives and clean, reverberated melodies that conjure up images of the beach and soft sands of California.
This new direction has served the band incredibly well; alongside the incredible cohesion between all four members, Low Desert Surf Club feels like FIRE DOWN BELOW have taken a deep breath and reinvented themselves by throwing themselves in at the deep end. Due to this leap out of their comfort zone which was established on Viper Vixen Goddess and Hymn Of The Cosmic Man, this album is raucous and exiting. The energy is electric and tangible throughout and you can’t help but feel pumped up at the refreshingly raw power FIRE DOWN BELOW have unleashed.
Opening up with Cocaine Hippo (a mental image that is simultaneously funny and frightening), you get an immediate sense that this is the start of something new for the band. Fast-paced and frantic with plenty of cowbell, this is an anthem for screaming down the motorway. California carries on the vibes and energy but ups the ante with some hulking stoner riffs and a very catchy Van Troyen vocal melody. Airwolf is more groove-focused and easily a stoner anthem; huge walls of sound flank you while dirty bass riffs rumble underneath. Surf Queen begins to introduce those surf rock elements that really set the tone for the album’s setting on a Californian coast line, the surf jam brings a smile to your face as you can feel how much fun FIRE DOWN BELOW had creating it.
Dune Buggy snaps you straight back to the hard-hitting stoner riffs and driving through the desert at 120mph. With a sufficient amount of cowbell and gritty riffs, you’ll find yourself wrapped up in the bluesy, dance party energy this song has. Here Comes The Flood brings together surf psych and doom together in a hypnotic spiral of riffs, melodies and pounding drums. While The Last Cowboy feels like the anthem to a John Wayne space cowboy hurtling through the galaxy wrangling aliens. Album closer and ambitious 16-minute jam Mantra consolidates the entire album with a sonic journey packed with surf guitar, huge riffs, funky jams and hypnotic dynamic shifts. A strong flourish to finish off a strong album.
FIRE DOWN BELOW have excelled themselves in more ways than one, and delivered a mind bogglingly crazy stoner album that brings you unbridled joy, positivity and happiness.
Rating: 9/10
Low Desert Surf Club is set for release on September 8th via Ripple Music.
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