ALBUM REVIEW: The Last Voyage – Duskwood
Deep in the heart of the West Country lies the mystical county of Somerset. In the furthest corner of this county of rolling hills and expansive countryside lies the town of Yeovil, which is the home to the rowdy, big riff aficionados DUSKWOOD. Following on from two beloved EPs, 2019’s The Long Dark and 2020’s The Lost Tales, the West Country quartet return with their sophomore album and the thrilling conclusion to their time travelling, space cowboy trilogy. The Last Voyage sees DUSKWOOD utilising their heavyweight stoner influences such as KYUSS, WOLFMOTHER, CLUTCH and 1000MODS with a firm focus on creating a fully immersive and anthemic album. With grit and determination the Yeovilians have certainly delivered, with a punchy musical voyage that transports you to another universe in a 1973 Dodge Swinger at 100mph.
The concluding chapter of this epic saga of a time travelling space cowboy is certainly one not to be missed; building off of the strength of the EPs, DUSKWOOD send this cowboy off into the intergalactic sunset with a bang. Lyrically, the band bring things closer to home. Throughout the lyrics are nods to small town life, which is something many in the West Country and semi-rural areas of the country can relate to – that complex emotion of being completely in love with the comfort of your hometown and the intense desire to get out of it and go as far away as possible, but even if you’re a time travelling space cowboy there’s no place like home.
First and foremost The Last Voyage exudes passion, grit and determination; this is a band on a mission and woe betide those that get in their way. There is a CLUTCH-like efficiency to this album, straight forward and to the point. Each riff feels like it’s been jammed out in the practise room, occasionally tweaked and honed to make sure that it delivers maximum impact. Alongside this there is real element of fun that makes this album so joyous to listen to, you can kick back and get fully immersed its infectious energy. As the trials and tribulations of the space cowboy play out, your imagination conjures up images of galaxies, planets and stars gliding past you as you venture through space.
The Last Voyage as a whole is an energetic and dynamic album. Walls of anthemic stoner riffs are intertwined with soaring vocals, catchy choruses, luscious psychedelic atmospheres and thunderous drums. Refusing to sit still for even a second, DUSKWOOD have ramped it up to 11 with a passionate grit. Liam Tinsley’s stand out vocal performance across the album shines a light on his unique and powerful tone, as well as his wonderfully catch hooks and melodies. The blood and guts of the album come from the dynamo rhythm section of Hugh Landon (drums) and Aaron Tinsley (bass) in what is their most locked-in outing to date. This is all tied together by the fuzz drenched guitar wizardry of Greg Watts. The Last Voyage builds on the momentum of 2020’s The Lost Tales, as a result this is DUSKWOOD’s most cohesive and strongest performance to date, destroying all previously held preconceptions.
Opening up the album is Vagrant, which starts off with some sci-fi synths before launching into a time-splitting riff with captivating vocals to match it. This where the band establish the infectious and enjoyable energy for the album that is continued with Gammon Lord. The bass intro gives you BLACK SABBATH vibes but what follows is a bombastic blast of furious riffs and guitar soloing that is packed with groove to get your body moving. She Calls is one of the more punchy songs on the album, a traditional stoner rock anthem with an epic chorus filled with harmonies that stand the hairs up on the back of your neck.
Blackhand is a bit more subdued, giving you a chance to catch a breath and soak in the luscious psychedelics that the band are brilliantly proficient at creating. While Tinsley’s vocals are in full belt mode, Iliad is a gritty, driven track that, much like She Calls, is a vigorous stoner anthem but with a few more dynamic twists, shifting between balls out riffs and subtle quieter sections. Skyriders and Deathproof feel like two sides of the same coin, the former being highly energetic with an air of hope, whereas the latter is a bit more atmosphere heavy with a tint of darkness. The nine-minute epic Legacy provides a strong finish to an already strong album – a fitting finale packed with riffs, atmospheres and a triumphant solo towards the end.
The Last Voyage should build significant momentum for DUSKWOOD; there’s a lot to like about this band and with riffs like these there’s no doubting plenty of people will soon agree.
Rating: 8/10
The Last Voyage is set for release on May 12th via Ripple Music.
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