It took three years, this time, for the American sludgers RED FANG to release their fourth album “Only Ghosts”. They are mainly known for their funny video clips that feature themselves in various adventures that include lots of beer (and… nerds!) but there is more behind that ‘youtube fame’. This is a hard-working band of excellent musicians that evolve continuously their music since 2005 that they were formed. Their music is a mixture of Melvins groove, (old) Baroness riffing style and a bit of Kylesa’s psychedelic influence alongside both clean and harsh vocals.
This new record has already spawned two singles. The first is “Flies”, which opens the album and features both vocalists in a fast tempo song that brings Mastodon to mind and it is one of the five better songs of the ten that you will hear from it. The second single is “Shadows” for which a video clip was released and it is in the same vein as the previous one.
There are also two songs here, “Cut It Short” and “Not For You” which sound like ‘heavier Queens Of The Stone Age’ that make me wonder if the fact that Joe Baressi (QOTSA, Kyuss) did the mixing of the album had anything to do with that. For the production Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, The Cure, Slipknot, and many more) was hired and he did an outstanding work. Red Fang have never sounded better (in a technical term).
Up to the sixth song the album is like any of their previous works but in the seventh track they experiment a lot with the slower and darker “The Smell Of The Sound”. Of the rest three tracks the final is worth mentioning more than the others, “Living In Lye” is another fast and heavy song that is perfect for long jamming sessions at their concerts.
If you are not a fan of RED FANG this album won’t change your mind but if you liked their music until now this album will satisfy your need for more, heavy, groovy, manly, beer-drinking songs. It is not their best effort but it shows signs that the band is in a changing period and maybe in their next one they will hit the center of what they are trying to achieve. Be sure to give it some time, it’s a grower. Plus, some of the aforementioned songs could make it to their ‘best of’ album someday (I predict that “Flies” will).
PS: If you just came here to see their new video, don’t be ashamed, I am sure the band is used to that, so, check the link below.
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