Black Lung – Dark Waves
Release Date: 27th May 2022
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Doom.
FFO: King Buffalo, Graveyard, Black Keys.
Review By: Anthony Petitt
With almost a decade as a band under their belts, Baltimore’s Black Lung sound as motivated as ever on their newest release, Dark Waves. Opening track Demons has tight, crunchy riffs accompanied by deceptively intricate drum parts, all topped off with howling 70’s rock vocals. Title track Dark Waves features danceable verses with a Black Keys or early Arctic Monkeys feel, and choruses with super satisfying guitars that are fuzzy but smooth. All of the different tones present on the album are dialled in to perfection.
The Cog is laid-back, and the sound is warm and inviting. If you dig Graveyard, this song is for you. The excellent production really allows the song to breathe and have its own unique vibe to exist in. Awaken is the longest song on the record, coming in at just under seven minutes, and the highlights have got to be the drum work and guitar harmonies around the three-minute mark. The song isn’t likely to make any “Best of the Year” lists, but certainly deserves its place on the album and grows on you with each new listen. The guitar tones are on point as expected.
Hollow Dreams is more memorable, with its bluesy vocals and Soundgarden-like groove. It perhaps goes on for too long, but the beautiful orchestral sounds of the outro are its saving grace. The droney Death Grip features War on Women vocalist Shawna Potter to great effect, with her voice taking on a beautiful, haunting tone that works well with the music. I also can’t help but to note the tasty drum work heard here, as well as on the rest of the album.
The next song on Dark Waves is The Path, and it has serene clean guitars and nasty dirty guitars, and the moments when they are played at the same time are fantastic. The cleans are able to shine through and aren’t overshadowed at all by the fuzzier tones. Mad King is the final song on the record, and it caught me off-guard with its sudden tempo changes. Generally speaking, though, the song is heavy and doomy, with a snarling guitar sound. The final guitar solo, soaked in delay, is a satisfying end to a satisfying record. 
(4.5 / 5)
