ALBUM REVIEW: Strange Machine – Alunah
Hailing from SABBATH City (a.k.a. Birmingham) and rooted in the traditions of SAINT VITUS and CATHEDRAL, ALUNAH certainly deliver a potent potion of hard rock, doom, fuzz and psychedelia. Continually evolving since their formation in 2006, each album has seen them elevate their sound to new and exciting echelons. Whilst Strange Machine is the title of the album, it sums up the band’s past two years of existence. Like many albums that are currently being released, Strange Machine is born out of the pandemic, written and rehearsed when the world went silent whilst the band also overcame their own personal struggles. With this amplified emotional depth imbued into their music, Strange Machine sees ALUNAH go beyond what they’ve done before. With epic majesty and hypnotic psychedelia, Strange Machine will certainly leave its indelible mark upon all those who listen to it.
Wasting no time in getting into the groove of things, title track Strange Machine opens up the album with a swirling synth sound before launching into the riffs. From the very first seconds of the opening track, you come to realise that this is ALUNAH like you’ve never heard them before. Whilst some of the more psychedelic elements have carried over from 2019’s Violet Hour, Strange Machine moves out of the shadows of their monolithic doom sound and towards a faster, fuzzier more stone rock feel. It opens up a veritable Pandora’s box of new and exciting creative opportunities which ALUNAH have seized with both hands. As a result, Strange Machine is a hypnotic and expansive album that fuses the gritty elements of Birmingham’s metal past and present with majestic and ethereal psychedelic rock. Siân Greenaway’s vocals take on a spellbinding quality that welcomes you in with open arms, as her bewitching melodies circle around your head.
With the band having embraced this more anthemic sound, there is a notable shift but intense focus on delivering high-octane hard rock. Where some of the band’s previous albums have been drenched in a thick and hazy fuzz which laid the foundations for their previous doom epics, that metaphorical mist has cleared as this new set of songs are bright, groove-laden and exciting. They also wasted no time in pulling in one of sludge metal’s big guns, with Shane Wesley of CROWBAR fame coming in to lend his guitar skills to hauntingly enchanting The Earth Spins.
One of the stand out songs on the album alongside The Earth Spins is Psychedelic Expressway. The song fuses a whimsical 1960s flower power quality to a steady rock beat and shimmering chords. Silver is a balls-to-the-wall rock anthem filled with bluesy riffs that is sure to get you up and moving. Greenaway’s catchy chorus lyrics and melodies will undoubtedly become an ear worm for all those who listen to it. Fade Into Fantasy takes a step back from thundering riffs, plunging you deep into a world of chorus and flange reminiscent of BLACK SABBATH’s Planet Caravan but more upbeat. With vocal harmonies that sound like floating spirits, it’s a song that is very easy to get immersed in. The Earth Spins opens up like a classic CROWBAR track and as a result has a gritty and sludgy vibe that’s dark and haunting. With layered vocal harmonies floating over the chaos below it’s a foreboding and apocalyptic track. Teaching Carnal Sins is a track born out of its environment; easily the most SABBATH-influenced track on the record, Matt Noble’s guitar work channels the god-like powers of Tony Iommi and levels them up with his own signature flair.
ALUNAH have definitely cut loose and given themselves a new form of creative expression on Strange Machine. Expanding their sound has paid off for them and this exciting new direction is one that we should all keep an eye on. This album will no doubt dictate the band’s future and thrust them into the higher echelons of the UK rock scene and beyond.
Rating: 8/10
Strange Machine is set for release on April 15th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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