Passionate psychedelic storm
Wailin Storms is a doom-punk rock band originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, who has taken their sound with them to North Carolina. Their music is heavily influenced by their surroundings as their work carries some eerie, heavy rock mixed with southern rock and blues. Wailin Storms is composed of four members: vocalist Justin Storms, guitarist Todd Warner, bassist Steve Stanczyk and drummer Mark Oates. Rattle is the group’s third full-length studio album with a total of eight tracks. The album carries a southern gothic doom punk sound as well as some blues influences with the relatable theme of human fragility.
Rattle kicks off with the title track “Rattle,” a five-and-a-half-minute song that appears to start off as a classic cowboy standoff but quickly turns into a desert psychedelic rock song. Justin Storms’ vocals reel in the listener in intriguing calls that perfectly match the rhythm of the track. However, the lack of lyricism punctures holes in the track, making it feel as though some lyrical creativity is lacking.
The track “Teeth” is a bit more playful as it is carried by amusing punk rock guitar riffs. Instead of the classic heavy guitar solo, the track features a beautiful soft guitar melody during a half-minute solo mid-song. Quickly after, the track to follow is “Sun,” a heavier take with goth-like monster guitar riffs.
“Crow” summons the audience back into the desert psychedelic ambiance that the album first introduced listeners to with the first couple of tracks. The hypnotizing bass and heavy drums immerse the listener into a new realm. The album ends with “End,” which is the perfect gloomy rock track to close off the album. Its odd high energy leaves the sudden urge to press that replay button.
Wailin Storms’ Rattle is overall well composed, as it carries many great elements for hard rock lovers to enjoy, such as mesmerizing guitar riffs, smashing percussions and bewitching distortions. However, just like any other artwork, when looked at closely, some flaws are hard to ignore. Luckily, Wailin Storms’ vigorous passion and immense talent are showcased throughout the album, creating captivating mixes of psychedelic rock.
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