ALBUM REVIEW: Old Gods – Valley of the Sun
Albums that don’t push at the genre boundaries are often overlooked as ‘meat and potatoes.’ Ohio’s own desert-stoners VALLEY OF THE SUN might just have something to say about that: their new album Old Gods is some of the best meat and potatoes you’ll taste this year.
OK, yes, that means it doesn’t really push the envelope or do anything wildly innovative. But if we ignore the idea that every new album has to reinvent, then we allow ourselves as listeners to have as much fun listening to the music as the band themselves are clearly having playing it. Ryan Ferrier’s vocal delivery is on par with that of Jay Buchanan from RIVAL SONS, as are the heavy, bluesy, bass-driven riffs, which mix in a little of the grunge from ALICE IN CHAINS and the fuzz of early BLACK SABBATH. This is, so far, some very excellent meat and potatoes.
But take the thunderous drums of title track and opener Old Gods, or the ritualistic stylings of interlude Shiva Destroys, which segues neatly into the pounding riffs of Firewalker, and the album becomes something just a bit more exciting. As the melodic intro for Into the Abyss slowly takes the album to a higher plane of consciousness with its psychedelic edge, and the riffs take on a drone that would make EARTH interested, the album edges closer to surpassing culinary metaphors altogether. This is the kind of solid foundation on which a band could start building a world-conquering career.
However, the album doesn’t quite achieve that status. There a couple of bum notes, namely All We Are and Faith Is For Suckers. They’re not bad, per se, just slower and grungier than would otherwise fit well with the rest of the album. Ferrier’s vocals are much better suited to the higher range he exhibits in belters like Means The Same and Old Gods than the lower range of All We Are or Faith Is For Suckers. Musically, the band is also clearly having much more fun when they’re not playing slower grunge. That’s not to say there’s no place for slow songs – otherwise we wouldn’t appreciate the faster numbers. But there’s a way of doing it so that it fits more smoothly with the album as a whole, and that’s not what’s happening here.
Dud songs aside, Old Gods represents a significant step forward in the band’s sound. Ferrier’s vocals are brought forward more prominently in the mix, which allows for a greater appreciation of his style. His guitar playing, and that of Josh Pilot, is more grounded than on previous releases, allowing for more weight in the riffs. Psychedelic flourishes from Chris Sweeney on keys push the album beyond simple desert/stoner rock, and his bass attack drives those meaty riffs forward with more ferocity than has been previously exhibited. With these embellishments, the music becomes more considered and well-realised than on The Sayings of the Seers. More like this, and VALLEY OF THE SUN could well be on their way to a world-beating career.
Dispensing those culinary metaphors that damn with faint praise, Old Gods is an excellent album from a band just starting to find their best groove. Let’s hope there’s plenty more to come.
Rating: 8/10
Old Gods is out now via Fuzzorama Records.
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