Clutch singer Neil Fallon has joined Vinny Appice (from Black Sabbath) along with Brad Davis (from Fu Manchu) and Dave Bone (from The Company Band) to create a super group name Dunsmuir. The band has been in the works since 2013, releasing four 7 vinyl singles and now three years later, finally releasing their first full length album. The self titled album is a concept LP which tells a story of fate and struggle, survivors from a 19th century shipwreck are faced with. As the album opens up you can see how each song shows a new chapter of the horrific adventures. The tale begins as a voyage of scientific discovery, quickly dissolved into the struggle to live in the natural world, taunted by the supernatural.
This bluesy rock n roll band really gives your ear a tune to groove to. With the beginning track “Hung On The Rocks” beginning the story to how a voyage of great discovery turns devastating in an instant. Although in the up coming tracks such as “What Manner of Bliss, the fourth track on the album, the band takes a turn from a groove feeling into a soulful melodic feel. High octave solos accompanying the main guitar riff, allows Fallon to put a darker twist to his vocals. This could possibly bring to life the chapter in which the survivors begin to lose their minds from being stranded.
Onward and forwards, to the sixth track on this album entitled “…And Madness” which is a proper title for a song describing the feeling of going insane. The beat picks up quite a bit and pulls the listener in quickly to deliver a strong message. In my personal opinion this track could be one of the heaviest on the album, as far as vocals and lyrics go. The musical background still manages to keep it groovy and up beat.
At the end of this album I found the concluding track titled “Crawling Chaos”, which in my mind is the best track on the album. Due to it’s gritty guitar riffs, polyrythmic drum tracks and strong powerful vocals I couldn’t help to replay and hear a new line each time. I can honestly say that Dunsmuir is making old school rock n roll cool again. Their sound brings out strong elements of both Black Sabbath and Clutch. A true mix of blues rock and groove which is something the music world needs more of.
Review by: Jayson Eric Williams