EP REVIEW: The Chalice – Sahara Snow

The words Sahara and snow are complete oxymorons, however, like magnets, opposites do tend to attract from time to time and hard rock quintet SAHARA SNOW prove this. They are relatively new to the industry and this promising second EP will ensure their place is secured.

They were born in the town of Havant which isn’t far from Portsmouth, UK. A great breeding ground for new talent. They specialise in eighties era metal infused with doom, an interesting yet compelling combination. With influences such as GHOST, MASTODON, QUEENSRYCHE and KING DIAMOND under their belts it’s looking rather promising already. Their phrase on their Facebook page is ‘Fear us. Love us. Join Us’ and in that order that’s all very true.

Onto the EP itself, it really is an interesting record with already a wide variety of content; this is their second EP to reassure fans of the band that they are not dead and they will continue to create music. Throughout the record we can hear impeccable vocal work, dirty riffs and swinging drums. This definitely upholds their description of music which is eighties infused with doom; these melodies contain the catchiness and bold sound of the eighties, they also contain the dark, murkiness of doom. These two different sounding types of metal fuse together to create something beautiful and quite unique.

Each and every track on this EP reinforces this claim in a different way. For example opening track Leviathan starts with a doom type riff that has a hint of catchiness, this is emphasised with the vocal work and memorable chorus.

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Horror Lover seems to have been approached differently, it seems to have a party vibe about it like the eighties produced but it still has those doom riffs. If you like a good dance then this track will suit their needs for this.

Speak is the brilliant concluding track, seeming to demonstrate the band at their best as it shows the best infusion of eighties and doom coming together in beautiful harmony to create something amazing. The prevailing vocals, dominant riffs and swinging drums will make this a solid favourite with fans.

So it’s very safe to say that they produced a solid EP with varied sounding tunes containing the best elements of eighties era and doom. Catch them in a town near you or listen to this record, there will be no going back once you have experienced their sounds. This is however, not for the faint hearted.

Rating: 8/10

The Chalice is out now via self release.

Like SAHARA SNOW on Facebook.