There’s something inherently timeless when listening through The Chariot from Cincinnati’s Valley Of The Sun. That’s it, that’s the opener! Timeless is tantamount to classic so by that logic y’all should go out immediately and pre-order your new favorite Desert Rawk album of 2022. And we’ll get to a comparison or two in a few but to be honest, experiencing Valley Of The Sun’s originality for the first or fiftieth time makes a strong argument that comparisons are not needed. At. All.
But. I Digress!
“Sweet Sands” is smooth and serendipitous, kicking into high gear after a bluesy riff to lead in and bringing about some heavy grooves and this sort of funked up fuzz that fuels this track with Ryan Ferrier’s commanding vocal presence at its’ epicenter. “Images” is rifftacular with a thunderous rumble from Lex Vegas’ drumming that swings nicely into a glorious wall of sound from the guitar and bass combo while Ferrier wails with Blues-infused soulful pipes.
“Devil I’ve Become” clobbers yer earholes with a barrage of Vegas’ drum sounds and Ferrier and Josh Pilot’s masterful riffing before the title track kicks all sorts of righteous Desert Rawk ass that, at times, hearkens to the almighty Kyuss mixed with the equally mythical Motherboar and the rollicking Roadsaw. Elsewhere, “Headlights” is righteous and raucous and almost gives off a Stone Temple Pilots feel with the layered vocal harmonies put through a Desert Rawk blender with “As We Decay” channeling a little Monster Magnet and a little Miss Lava with the psychedelic acoustic journey it takes listeners on.
“Running Out Of Love” is a thumpin’ toe tappin’ head bobbin’ mover and shaker spurred on by Chris Sweeney’s low end and Vegas’ steady stomp with “Colosseum” coming on pretty frelling epic as it storms the gates with a tour-de-force sonic assault from Ferrier, Pilot, Sweeney and Vegas with Ferrier ‘s serene vox effortlessly enticing and inviting listeners in for one last push which comes in the form of “The Flood” sauntering in all sexy like for a crushing coda.
The Chariot arrives on June 17th through Ripple Music and Fuzzorama Records. You can get yer pre-order on now by heading here or here and for the latest from Valley Of The Sun, follow the trail of socials by clicking here, here, or here.