ALBUM REVIEW: Sentinels – Desert Storm
Coming out with their fourth album Sentinels, DESERT STORM have brought their A-game once again, for a cracking and head-bob worthy album. Sentinels is a great follow up from the critically acclaimed Omniscient album release of 2014.
Starting off strong with heavy riffage, Journey’s End really sets the tone. The song flows into an instrumental section focused on the guitar and bass, before dipping its toes into the deep basslines halfway through the song. The pacing changes up for an ever so slightly faster second half, maintaining the heaviness of the first, leading out with a crisp guitar solo.
Too Far Gone holds no quarter, dropping you straight into the action and introducing the track with rhythmic melodies, broken up by shrill and dissonant guitar. Matt Ryan’s vocal performance is strong on this track too, keeping up with the interesting pacing and pitch changes, harmonising with the rest of DESERT STORM all the way through the song, and indeed the album. This lumbering, stoner/blues pace continues for the majority of the track before sliding into a tasty solo, and a much faster paced portion more suited to a different genre but merging well nonetheless. Too Far Gone returns to the original speed and feel as the song ends. The third track, The Brawl, continues the theme of starting of hard hitting and transitioning into the classic stoner rock sounds. It takes a second to change timings and slow down, but once again the rhythm makes you want to move your whole body, rocking back and forth for it’s entirety. On that note, while a strong track, the lack of progression compared to others on the album leaves you wanting that little bit more.
For the first minute and a half of Kingdom of Horns, you feel at ease and relaxed. The calming basslines and guitar, the simple drums and the soft, yet coarse vocals are hauntingly reminiscent of being at sea, calm and terrifying at the same time. This happens multiple times within this track and the sudden switch to this ethereal sound is respite from the crushing and oppressive heaviness of the rest of the track. This is definitely one of the stronger tracks from DESERT STORM, not only because of how different it is than the rest, but because the artistic merit shines through. Gearhead is possibly the most complex song on this album, featuring seamless transitions and multiple variations on a familiar melody and rhythm. Each twist and turn entices a different emotion, from the groovy bassline and crunching guitars to thunderous drums or the meaty vocals, every step Is an enjoyable one. Throughout the entire track the heaviness never wanes, ebbing and flowing from one stage to the next.
Drifter rings out with a rock solid bluesy guitar riffs and an accompaniment to further bolster and complement its strength. While a strong track, it is a rather short one and just as you get into the groove, it’s almost over as soon as it begins. The same can be said for the next track, The Extrovert. Besides the lyrical themes, the main difference between the two, is that The Extrovert has a slight transition three quarters of the way through. With a little tinkering, merging the two songs with a progression may have been a step in the right direction, or perhaps the tracks could be separated on the album to mix up the flow.
Turning it down a notch for a short while, Convulsion enters the fray with a slow drudging bass groove from Chris Benoist, followed by harmonising guitars and complimenting drums from Chris White, Ryan Cole, and Elliot Cole respectively. The pacing increases a minor amount as the song progresses, up to around the four-and-a-half-minute mark, until and instrumental section cuts between the move towards the finale. The speed drops off and the chunky basslines return, enveloping your senses like sonic pulses through thick and heavy fog while each individual instrument retreats into the background.
Beginning the penultimate track with some hefty riffs and powerful drums, Capsized is off to a fantastic start. Much like Kingdom of Horns, this track is interlaced with less heavy sections, focusing more on the acoustic side of the dual guitars, before attacking the senses with the rhythmic pounding of drums and guitars, blasting through the calm like a freight train. At around three minutes in, the tone changes drastically, with a slow down “fight scene” sort of feel, with wonderfully mixed fist-like punches from the melodic side. To top it all off, a deliciously produced solo with a minor interlude before the end.
The final song on Sentinels, Outro (Thought Police), is a fitting track, in line with the rest of the record. While nothing particularly special to start off with, as the track progresses that changes distinctly. The discordant and wailing guitars screech in the background, before sluggishly pushing their way to the front, stealing the limelight for a brief moment, before receding into the back once again. By this point, the song is all but finished as the same chunky riffs repeat and fade into nothingness, the album ends.
To conclude, Sentinels is a very strong record, with some absolutely brilliant tracks coming out of DESERT STORM. However, there are a couple that if merged together or distributed differently, would have raised the quality of it. All in all, recommended for fans of stoner or sludge metal, check this album out if you are looking for a unique vocal style and some interesting tracks.
Rating: 7/10
Sentinels is set for release on March 16th via APF Records.
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