There is something very clever about the Bay View EP and the sounds it eagerly shares. Certainly the new outing from UK rockers Crimson Star sounds rather good from the off with a blaze of rock ‘n’ roll which may not dramatically impress but leaves a definite appetite for more. But like all relentless fires, it leaves little cinders in the shape of persuasive hooks and grooves which continue to catch in the imagination even in its absence. You could say the five track encounter is a slow burner in many ways despite its sizeable impact first time around and that is a success as potent as anything in our eyes.
Hailing from Birmingham, the threesome emerged in 2012 and since then has earned a rich reputation for their live presence and weighty alternative/melodic rock sound. 2016 saw the release of the Driven EP with the line-up of vocalist/guitarist James Shaw, bassist Roger Ash, and drummer Ross Edgington together. That well-received offering was recorded with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Lower Than Atlantis, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral For A Friend), a successful union repeated with Bay View.
The EP opens with recent single The Pragmatist and straight away riffs and vocals lure attention, the increasingly grooved invitation of the guitar aligning with the equally potent scowling tones of Edgington. As it establishes its eager stroll, the song ebbs and flows in intensity without losing its instinctively infectious nature whilst always looking to evolve as melodies and the ever captivating grooves share their imagination. More addictive than it seemingly appears at the time, the song is a masterful slice of rock ‘n’ roll setting the release off to a great heavy and rousing start.
The following La Prom carries the same intent, instantly pushing through ears with a bold touch but soon revealing an atmospheric breath around crystalline melodies. Its calm has an underlying volatility which subsequently erupts as fiery grooves and raw riffs join an already laid bait of coaxing rhythms. With great fuzz to its tone and an edge to its energy, they aligning to further melodic enterprise, the song simply hits the spot.
Desert rock grooves fire up within next up Once, their spice leading to a grunge/alternative rock scowl which again is always looking to spring an unpredictable and imaginative adventure. Like its predecessor, the track does not have the immediate sparks of the opener yet grips from start to finish sowing that earlier mentioned niggle in its own way to return at will in the memory; a trait just as successful within Euthanise Me. The muscle of its grooves and rhythmic incitement courts a fine blues rock hue, a flavouring which blossoms within the following dark lit stroll the voice and bass take the imagination on. Like a blend of Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam with a slight touch of Kyuss, the song is unbridled captivation rivalling the first for best song honours.
The release is concluded by Gimme Some, another slice of intriguing rock ‘n’ roll which like the EP just grows and impresses with every listen. Grooves need little time to wrap their persuasion around ears though, melodic shadows and radiance working away on the imagination, as it brings Bay View to a magnetic close.
With double figure listens under our belt, it is fair to say that Bay View has become a keenly devoured and praised proposal. It took its time with us despite its potent start and we can only say share some of your time with Crimson Star to discover some prime heavy rock; it is hard to imagine you will be disappointed.
Bay View is released January 19th
https://www.crimsonstarrocks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thecrimsonstarmusic https://twitter.com/tcsmusic
Pete RingMaster 17/01/2018
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
A single which has already earned the band eager radio play, Lie To Me follows with its gentle but catchy swing and warm melodic embrace. There is a more caustic edge to the song which swarms its shadows to add further depth to its presence, but it is the emotive tide and melodic dexterity of the band and songwriting which fuels its character to great effect. Though for these ears its predecessor is a mightier lure into the EP, there is no denying the track gets under the skin and into the hips with its accomplished heat and tenacious catchiness.
It opens with that first single, and straight away Arrogance has ears welcoming a sturdy wall of hungry riffs and swinging rhythms. Things relax a touch as the vocals step forward though grooves still engagingly flicker and hooks bite through the guitars as those initial rhythms continue to command attention with their tenacious and weighty persuasion. Hitting its stride in no time, the song soon offers a contagiously rousing chorus and an enticing mix of varying intensity and eventful twists; all fine elements in the anthemic proposal that body and voice cannot resist getting involved in. It is a great start and easy to see why the track made people look up last year, and a success potently backed by the following likes of My Skin and Holding Back.
Taking inspirations from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Enter Shikari, PVRIS, and Marmozets into their electronic fuelled alternative rock, Banshee open up Say My Name with the brief and atmospheric Intro before uncaging its title track. The opener quickly entices ears with its suggestive keys and the vocal potency of Donnachie before the band’s new single, from a similarly low key opening, spins a dramatic and feisty tapestry of sound and voice for the imagination to play with. In full flow, song and Donnachie swiftly reveal their tenacious qualities, riffs and grooves a fiery haze around crisp and brooding rhythms as synths cast an emotive mist.
Since forming in 2010, Martyr De Mona has drawn full praise and an ever increasing horde of fans with their dramatic weave of sound. They have shared stages with the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Black Sabbath, Avenged Sevenfold, Slash, Black Stone Cherry, Skillet, and Alter Bridge, won a Best British Band of the Year award, lit up Bloodstock, and had numerous tracks added to the rotation of national UK and US radio stations and shows. Fair to say that the Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Funeral For A Friend) produced Impera has made the biggest impact on the music scene for the band; one powerfully backed up by its clutch of singles which now includes the rousing Siege Mentality.
First Light hits ears with its title track first, enveloping them in a rich spicy guitar coaxing before pungent rhythms and attitude loaded riffs join the affair. It is a potent invitation which only blossoms further as the song relaxes into a muscular stroll graced by the quickly impressing tones of Swift and prowled by the deliciously dark, almost predatory bass line of Josh Flynn. With rapier like strikes from drummer Ed Dennis, there is no escaping the imposing nature of the song yet its forcefulness is tempered perfectly by the melodic and fiery enterprise of guitarists Ben Fletcher and Will Smith, from riffs to hooks and incisive grooves, their imagination as dynamic as rhythms are commanding and vocals highly persuasive.