Valley of The Sun – The Chariot
Release Date: 17th June 2022
Label: Fuzzorama Records/Ripple Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner Rock, Hard Rock, Grunge.
FFO: Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Velvet Revolver, Orange Goblin.
Review By: Paul Franklin
First things first. This new album from Cincinnati quartet Valley of The Sun sounds huge. Like a middle-aged man still deluding himself he can still fit into a medium size T-shirt, The Chariot is bursting at the seams with high-energy, adrenaline-pumping rock n’ roll.
Over their 12-year career, the band have crafted their own signature sound that sees them stand with one leg anchored in Stoner Rock, and the other dipping its toes into the grungy waters previously occupied by the likes of Alice in Chains or Soundgarden. The latter particularly true on the opening duo of Sweet Sands and Images, both of which serve up anthemic riffs and earthy grooves, drenched with the powerful vocals of Ryan Ferrier. His unique delivery really is the standout element on the album. On the grungy tracks he sounds like the bastard son of Layne Staley, then later when the band hit the accelerator and shift into the slithering, balls out rocker, Headlights, it’s like getting a lap dance from Scott Weiland.
Devil I’ve Become is the band carjacking a satanic hot rod and roaring across the valley floor in the fuzzy glow of Black Sunshine, whilst As We Decay is a more subtle, country/blues number that sits at the halfway point of the record. It also seems to mark the point where The Chariot takes a bit of a diversion off the Stoner/Grunge trail and heads down a more neon-lit street. The remaining tracks see the band lift their foot from the grungy waters, kick off the scuzzy trainer and slip into an oiled snakeskin boot. The likes of Running Out of Love (a superb tack), Sunblind and The Flood swagger with that cocksure classic rock attitude. The riffs, the melodies, and the vocal pitch all increasing in urgency and frantically racing each other to the climax. Hell! They even chuck in some saucy organ action.
Valley of The Sun are a great band. The Chariot is a great album.
(4 / 5)
