Duskwood – The Forthcoming Debut Full-Length ‘Desert Queen’.
Duskwood – Yeovil, England, United Kingdom.
The Hard Rock/Stoner Rock/Desert Rock epoch is one that can really go either way. You hear the words “Hard Rock” and you more often than not think of Guns N’ Roses or some mid-80’s rumble that was more about being “metal” and generally cliche than the music. You hear Stoner Rock and you feel better, but often you end up with the same distorted gloom that doesn’t really do anything bar add to that gloomy winter evening.
Now when you hear Desert Rock, you feel a pang of excitement that grows into something more and when a band by the name of Yeovil riff-people Duskwood are invited, that anticipation grows into interest and admiration.
The band cite the likes of staples Queens Of The Stone Age, Clutch, Chevelle, Wolfmother and Kyuss and you can also hear a feint hint of Audioslave particularly on their first release and that’s never a bad thing to channel but its all been amplified on the forthcoming…
\\Desert Queen//
Duskwood take the stronger elements of Stoner Rock and polish the edges and maintain the groove, they sample Punk and Metal through their Desert Rock majority and appease the Hard Rock fans with their contemporary yet similarly classic aesthetic without just being another set of 80’s-o-philes.
The thickness of the Duskwood’s sound is impressive and although strictly speaking not breaking huge tracts of new ground, the way they have chosen to put these pieces together stands tall and defiantly. ‘Obelisk’ is a choice cut and the following ‘Titan’ acting as its namesake waking up with a substantial hangover, subdued but not to be trifled with.
The highlight of ‘All These Walls’ channels both QOTSA and arguably Pearl Jam, with Duskwood’s penchant for strong guitar melodies softening the sound in part while the rhythm section crunches. This lead single hits the stoner-groove well but I’ll let you decide how well.
‘Hurricane’ is in bed with Punk-Rock musically after an affair with Hard Rock and vocally has some venting to do. ‘Chariot’ and ‘Hazy’ are strong enough sonically but are really just more of the same, yet still enjoyable enough after the diversification of the previous track.
One thing to really note, despite the band sounding bigger in generality are the vocal improvements, with an impressive range and versatility to match the slight deviations in sound.
It’s a very long album by this point, but you still feel satisfied. My advice would be go into this when you are raring to go and willing to sit and gyrate in your own time. This album requires commitment and the last three tracks with their Grunge-isms and top-notch Stoner Rock nodding towards Red Fang should not be missed and neither should the 14th November release date.
Find all things Duskwood below:
- For updates, find the band on Facebook, Twitter and their Official Website.
- For the band’s music to date, head to bandcamp.
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