Stoke-On-Trent’s Red Spektor look set to continue their ascension to the heights of stoner rock royalty with the release of their debut album.
From 50-shades-of-Hendrix opener Before The Sunrise to the fading refrains of blues-drenched stomper Lost Soul, this trio serve up a smorgasbord of pendulous grooves and wicked psychedelia. Smouldering jams like Timeless Requiem and the heady fuzz of Pagan Queen will inevitably draw comparisons to Paranoid-era Black Sabbath, but the overall sound is punctuated with sufficient musical nuances to ensure this homage doesn’t become overly derivative.
Into The Maelstrom is deliciously languid and stripped down, mellow guitars unfurling into distorted vocals and repeated drum rolls driven by hypnotising arrangements. Killer choruses resonate from muscular stoner riffs throughout, but it’s those proggy flourishes and surging tempos that keep things interesting – the high-octane QOTSA-esque bounce of Black Moon Rising is indicative of a band who are more than a mere 70s throwback. Red Spektor’s ability to encompass that celebration of classic icons past with forward thinking will cement their longevity.
