DIRTY RAVEN – Rust For Blue

Dirty Raven must really identify with Fu Manchu because they cite the band twice in their Facebook list of favorite artists. The remaining bands read like a who’s who of 90s Metal. Not surprisingly, the French power trio’s 5 track EP Rust For Blue sounds as if it could’ve been released alongside Alice In Chain’s Dirt from 1992. The vocals are reminiscent of AIC’s Layne Staley, but the music is a juggernaut of Fu Manchu fuzz and Black Sabbath doom.

Within the first 30 seconds of the lead track “Desert Of Champagne”, you will experience the essence of Dirty Raven. The band describes it as “…powerful and efficient drum beats, a bass in love with low-end distortion and fuzzzz, a guitar addicted to fuzzy sound too, fat and heavy, all powered by a voice sounding sometimes pop, sometimes powerful rock.” The listener notes the consistently dark, low octave riffs and slow to mid-tempo pacing combined with a mix which makes the vocals atmospheric rather than intelligible. There’s rarely a high note and no squealing guitar solos. The band avoids sounding monotone through clever song writing. On “Hell On Heels” the guitarist pauses to let the bassist carry the melody and they employ slower paced bridges to add contours to the sound. Guitar solos occur but they are complementary and blend in rather than stand out.

Produced to project its plodding riffs as an omnipresent force while striking a delicate balance with the vocals and rhythm section, Rust For Blue is a treble free cocktail of Stoner Metal bliss sure to relax the most angst ridden. Fans of Stoner Metal with a throwback 90s Metal vibe will not be disappointed with Rust For Blue.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 1, 2, 3. 4, 5)

1. Desert Of Champagne
2. Hell On Heels
3. U.F.O.
4. Fall Of The Curtain
5. Hypocrisy

LINEUP

Bernard Collot: vocals / guitar
Clement Geoffroy: Bass / vocals
David Couvreux: Drums