Desert Storm: Rooted Deep In The Scene

Being a part of the underground scene and working your way through the ranks is a crucial rite of passage for any band who want to make anything of themselves. With a music scene often bulging at the seams finding a way to cut through the fat and find your niche is what separates the good from the bad, and being able to build and fortify your empire through consistent releases with a sound diverse enough to capture the hearts of multiple genres is what separates the great from the good. DESERT STORM have been building their stock within the British scene for well over a decade now, and as such have been able to not only become an integral part of the British live scene’s DNA, but have also been slowly but surely bettering their craft with each passing record, resulting in this year’s excellent Omens.

“We think it’s our best record, it’s the most together. Some of our previous releases had a few different sounds, like our earliest stuff sounds way more bluesy, and whilst we still love that, it was getting in the way because we were unsure of whether we wanted to do that on future albums,” explains long time guitarist Ryan Cole on the evolution of the DESERT STORM sound. “This album, it’s all one sound, it’s pretty progressive and heavy, and it feels more like an album than any of our other releases.”

Having formed in 2007, DESERT STORM have been a staple of the sludge and stoner scene for their entire careers. As well as being a key part of the live scene, Ryan and his brother Elliot [drums] have also played an essential role in the development of their local live circuit through their gig booking. This has also lead to the band being able to play with some of their favourite acts like ORANGE GOBLIN, KHARMA TO BURN and HANG THE BASTARD through cleverly booking themselves as the support whenever confirming the gig. This duel view of the British live scene does mean that Ryan and DESERT STORM have an acute understanding of the effect the shutting down of venues has on the local scenes. 

“I’ve seen it locally in Oxford, some of the coolest venues are closing down and that means less rock, metal and hardcore shows, and then another place will open and it’ll come back alive again. We’ve seen it all over our 12 years. At one point Cardiff used to be a fucking great place to play, we used to do really well in Cardiff. So we don’t go back to Cardiff now.”

DESERT STORM have the benefit of longevity on their side, and it has fed into not only their musical output but also their ability to weather any storm. Ryan explains how a return to Wales through a Swansea show resulted in Cardiff fans travelling to hear them play, and also delves into how efficiently they were able to rebook their Omens tour after the inevitable postponement. The relationships they have crafted throughout their hardwork has paid dividends for them, and despite the self proclaimed ‘pain the ass’ the pandemic has been, it has done little to truly effect the DESERT STORM momentum. 

In fact, speaking with Ryan and it would seem there is little that could stop DESERT STORM. With the evolution of their sound resulting in a mature and expansive record with Omens, it’s clear that the group have been constantly growing throughout their time as a band. “I think we’ve matured as song writers. Back in the beginning it was more straight forward in terms of verse and chorus, but then again back then we were hard blues and rock, so it worked more. Now, we’re more progressive and most of us listen to heavier music now.”

It’s a pleasure to hear about a band who have ingrained themselves into not just one, but a multitude of music scenes across Britain. With performances at Upsurge Festival and Roadburn Festival as well a blossoming catalogue of records and a booking reputation that has resulted in Oxford getting some of its best gigs, DESERT STORM have become an essential export for the British music scene. Whilst they have weathered venue closures and music scenes swelling and contracting, DESERT STORM remain an essential cog in the constantly churning British riff machine. 

Omens is out now via APF Records.

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