Crimson Star and The ‘Bay View’ EP – January 2018.
Crimson Star – Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.
Birmingham is a big place, a very big place, a place that I personally spent a gratuitous amount of money in while touring its record shops recently. Now, this obviously gives me good reason to go back but perhaps there could be more reasons on the horizon and by that I mean there almost certainly is, that being the forthcoming EP from Crimson Star.
Do you yearn for a band to fill the hole left behind by Soundgarden or Audioslave? Do you still harbour your obsession with Pearl Jam or quite plainly do you wish for a heavy-rock band that aren’t just the same old cliche? Well if you said “yes” to the aforementioned questions then Bay View from Crimson Star is unambiguously for you.
‘The Pragmatist’ is the forerunning single of this latest offering from Crimson Star and wastes no time stomping straight into vintage Hard Rock verses with a slight but well used Stoner Rock groove and oncoming gloom. Further into the verses clear Audioslave-era Chris Cornell (RIP) influences on the lighter vocal notes show themselves as the rest of the band continues to unashamedly follow the simplistic but rhythmic and oh so inviting rumble of ‘The Pragmatist’.
These are long songs and they are indeed very drawn out but even after the seemingly mammoth length of ‘The Pragmatist’ you’re still at ease and well-engrossed. ‘La Prom’ very much presents itself as track stuck between several key points in modern (ish) heavy-rock.
In many ways, again, Audioslave influence pokes through and the track easily fits in-line with anything from that perfect debut record. The other side of this standout track sits somewhere between the above and the strange phase of Alternative Rock and Metal in the early 2000’s where bands couldn’t decide between said styles, all the while leaning towards Grunge or crooning Emo.
‘Once’ is similar but no less entertaining while ‘Euthanise Me’ plays with Stoner Rock again with its looming, cumbersome and gargantuan intro before it’s all taken down a notch or twelve. The band then taken another stab at a Grunge-esque early 2000’s chorus before it all falls back to another bluesy and quiet contrasting verse. ‘Euthanise Me’ is entertaining enough but it isn’t quite as immersive as its predecessors and bar its redeeming chorus is the “good” track of the release rather than anything quite as standout.
‘Gimmie Some’ sees more of the crooning, classic screeching guitars and Stoner-Grunge groove finishing off an EP that seems far longer than it is in the best way possible. Bay View dispenses with the cliche of much in the way of heavy-rock and Hard Rock to be simply “heavy” for the sake of it and makes for an EP worth repeated plays.
Start you new year right, it’s out in January.
Find them:
- Social Media/Updates: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Official Website.
- Music: iTunes/Apple Music, Google Play, Spotify, Deezer, Official Website.
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