Heavy riffs, killer guitar solos, and Neil Young! Fuzzy is digging this sweet little EP from Santa Cruz's SLOTH. You might remember the last time I reviewed the band (https://www.fuzzycracklins.com/2020/10/sloth.html) and I'm glad to say that Sloth returns with their signature lo-fi heavy psych stoner doom. And this time, it's got vampires. Check out "Children of the Sun" on Bandcamp:
Let's talk a little about the homage to Neil Young who sure has laid down some killer guitar fuzz in his time, so it is awesome to hear him get some love from the Underground. SLOTH's interpretation of Young's iconic "Hey Hey My My" amps up the fuzz and dials down the vocals almost out of the mix completely, and I love it. (And hey hey my my, speaking of cover songs, go check out The Swamp's cover tribute "Swamp Sabbath" with 14 Black Sabbath tracks at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQuDAgwN_wY)
"Salem" slows things down (if that was possible) and adds in acoustic guitar, and it sounds to me like a song Neil Young would be proud to call his own.
The title songs anchors the EP, and it starts off with a great sample, and then launches into a slow thunderous riff.
There's a theme that ties the songs together. From the band:
The album is heavily inspired by Stephen King's Salem's Lot and follows the concept of the Master Vampire preying and recruiting the townspeople into his undead legion. Songs throughout the album are written through this perspective (such as "Salem" and "Children of the Sun"). The former is a melancholic folk/ country inspired song written as through the Master Vampire's thoughts as night falls on the town. The latter song, "Children of the Sun" follows Sloth's characteristic doom tinged proto-metal in a mind booming finale with apocalyptic fuzzed out grooves, booming drums, grooving bass, and swirling twin guitars.
Not every solo band can pull off a big or complete enough sound to pass for a 3 piece, but the songwriting going on here is executed perfectly by the lone musician (Ariel Pang).
I dig this so much I'm having trouble explaining exactly what it is that grabs my earholes so completely. I think it's because the album delivers that old-school heavy ass sound in a way that doesn't sound old at all.
A few copies of the limited edition CD are available at https://heavysloth.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-sun
Sloth hails from Santa Cruz, California (Fuzzy's college town!). From the band:
I (Ariel Pang) am the sole creative behind "Sloth" including writing, producing, recording, all instruments, and mixing/mastering of the album as well as designing the art for the covers/CDs for sale on the bandcamp. Coming from the Northern Californian redwood city of Santa Cruz, the monolithic landscapes of the region have also largely inspired my creative processes.
Go check out (and follow) Sloth over on Bandcamp at https://heavysloth.bandcamp.com/album/children-of-the-sun
