By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 14/03/2016
Label: Totem
Cat Records
This
is a doom record, for sure, but of the vintage variety and with a distinctly
American flavour. Retro in approach, satisfying in content, R.I.P. are a
welcome addition to the great tradition of rebel outsiders which litter the US
cultural highways; get your motor running: R.I.P. are here!
“In The Wind” “2xLP track listing:
1. The Scythe
2. In The wind Part 1
3. Tremble
4. Black Leather
5. Smoke and Lightning
6. In The Wind Part 2
7. The Tombstone
8. Bereaved
9. Brave In The Grave
10. In The Wind Part 3
The Review:
The
Pacific North West has given us this trad doom/trad/garage rock offering from R.I.P. Instrumental opener “The Scythe” sets a
frantic pace, before things settle to more groovy tempos with the title track.
Certainly, fans of Pentagram, Orange Goblin and even The Stooges should
check this record out.
With
biker stylings “Black Leather” and a good line in song titles “Brave
In The Grave”, the band have a recognisable schtick and play it as
straight as they come. Even though some of the tracks exceed seven minutes, it
is all very straight forward. Riffs that you could learn after one listen,
steady tempos and vocals which are a pleasingly plaintive wail in style... in
the parlance of another band of desperadoes: “Nuthin' Fancy.”
Naturally,
“Tremble”
features a cowbell and the sound is rough and ready with lots of distortion
on the bass. For those doom fans whose tastes veer more to Uncle Acid,
Demon Eye and so on, this record is a gift from the 70s
gods. As doom becomes more about noise and less about riffs, it is nice to hear
a band that have done their history homework and who have written some actual
songs. I prefer the faster and more groove orientated songs on this debut full
length, but that is just me; another listener may feel differently.
There
is a sequel to the title track which kicks off the second half of the album and
things remain loud and in the raw. The instrumental mellow-out of “The
Tombstone” is a nice addition to the record as it lets up on the
throttle and allows the final few tracks to really hit home. “Bereaved”
has some groove filled riffing which
simply chugs out of the speakers, while the final two tracks including part
three of the title track sequence(!) clock in over six and seven minutes
respectively. If there is one minor criticism of the record, it could be a bit
shorter... but then again, you get more for your money so the criticism will
remain minor!
This
is a doom record, for sure, but of the vintage variety and with a distinctly
American flavour. Retro in approach, satisfying in content, R.I.P. are a welcome addition to the great tradition of
rebel outsiders which litter the US cultural highways; get your motor running: R.I.P. are here!
“In The Wind” is available
here
Band info: Facebook
