Astralnaut is a Stoner/Doom/Rock/Metal/Sludge/Fuzz/Desert/Groove/Blues/Sleaze Band from Ireland
The members are:
Thomas Mallon - Vocals
Gaz Treanor - Lead Guitar
JonJoe Harrison - Bass Guitar + Backing Vocals
Stephen Todd - Drums
Pearse Donnelly - Rhythm Guitar + Backing Vocals
Astralnaut is a band who fuse many genres into a hard rocking blast of brutal riffs. Taking influence from a whole range of legendary bands but still maintaining their own great sound.
The band have released one previous EP - Back To The Bog - which is available for free download from BandCamp. It's an excellent release to check how talented this band actually is.But I am here to review their superb new EP - In The Gaze of the Gods.
A 5 song EP that runs for a superb 30 mins or so. Astralnaut throw huge sonic riffs at you right from the start. This EP is made for one thing only - To rock the fuck out to. First track - Arab Spring - comes at you like a mad psychotic killer looking for their next victim. You know trouble is coming, it's just a matter of time before the heavy pounding riffs come for you. Thomas is on fine form with some very loud and passionate vocals ready to knock you the fuck out.
Astralnaut are something special indeed. You can tell that by the first track and you have 4 other excellent tracks to go. The way the band blend Doom, Sludge, Stoner, Doom, Fuzz, Grunge and Space Rock into something original should see these guys become major players in the next few years.
2nd track - Emerald Lord Of Pleasure - is another hard-rocking track combining NOLA based riffs with rebellious Irish Hard Rock charm. This song is an almighty attack on the senses. Wait until the last 2 mins for the band to knock you the fuck out. Blazing riffs give this track a dangerous edge.
The EP now goes into overdrive on the excellent 3rd track - The Hallion. Another great showcase for the band to prove how powerful they really are. This is probably the EP's heaviest track. Astralnaut unleash their full fury here. The drumming and riffs are powerful to bring down The Great Wall Of China. Heavy as fuck. And I loved every second of it.
4th track - The Oath - is probably the EP's most straight forward rock song. 3:40 mins of finely tuned riffs going straight for the kill. It' a good track but it lacks the punch of the earlier 3 tracks.
But the band are back on fine form with the excellent and final track - Urban Brawl. A 7:10 minute epic that starts off as a cool Blues Rock track before Astralnaut unleash their hard rock fury one last time. And it builds up to a massive wall of sound which ends the EP on a massive high.
In The Gaze of the Gods is an excellent release from Astralnaut. It should win them a huge following within the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal realm. You can buy In The Gaze Of The Gods from BandCamp Now on DD and CD.
Plus check out the excellent artwork by W. Ralph Walters who I am a massive fan of.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Check The Band From Links Below
Official
BandCamp
