Monday 14 April 2014

Heavy Glow - Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine - Album Review

Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine cover art

Album Type:Album
Date Released: June 3rd 2014
Label: Purge Records

Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine track listing:

1.45 Shakedown
2.Look What You're Doing To Me
3.Mine All Mine
4.Fat Cat
5.Love Ghost
6.Domino (Black Flowers)
7.Hello September (Goodbye April)
8.Got My Eye On You
9.Nerve Endings
10.Headhunter

Bio:

Heavy Glow new studio album is produced by Michael Patterson (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Beck, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, P. Diddy, Notorious B.I.G., Duran Duran) and Nic Jodoin (BRMC, The Morlocks, Nightmare Air) titled, Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine, is slated for June 3rd, 2014 release date. The band's influences include Motown, Psychedelia, Grunge, Delta Blues, Country Blues, Chicago Blues. As frontman Jared Mullins explains "We dig 60s Detroit, 60s San Francisco, 70s Mid-West, 90s Seattle, 20s-40s Mississippi Delta, 50s Chicago/Chess Records."

"If you dig just-barely-pre-metal hard rock in the manner of Blue Cheer, Cactus, Mountain, Humble Pie, and Mark II Deep Purple, turn off your 'puter and go get this sizzlin' slab right now…" writes Stash Dauber. KTVU Oakland adds “…Heavy Glow delivers a compelling, tuneful sound that mixes elements of head-nodding blues, swirling psychedelia and guitar heft.” The band "weds Grand Funk Railroad muscle with ‘80s guitar god finesse," the Examiner opines.

The album was recorded in Los Angeles at Studio 9. Heavy Glow is Jared Mullins on vocals and guitars, Joe Brooks on bass and St. Judas on drums (touring drummer is Ryan Muller). "I honestly can’t wait for people to hear Pearls and Swine," Mullins explains. "To me it’s a very raw but beautiful depiction of the decaying, dilapidated state of mind I was in while writing it. It’s as close as chaos and creation can be."

Cincinnati City Beat reports that album track “Headhunter” was recently played by the local disc jockey character in CBS’s Under the Dome (season one, episode two), which resulted in a virtual tidal wave of attention for Heavy Glow, a perfect publicity metaphor for the band’s volume, power and intensity."

The album cover was designed by renowned artist Darren Grealish, whose work includes gig posters for Queens of the Stone Age and the Melvins and graces the walls of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band will tour the U.S. throughout the year.

The Band Members

Jared Mullins-Guitars/Vocals
Joe Brooks-Bass
Ryan Muller-drums
St. Judas-percussion

Review:

Psych Stoner /Blues Rockers – Heavy Glow – return with their eagerly awaited 2nd album – Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine. 3 years after their critically acclaimed debut album Midnight Moan was unleashed upon to the world. So has much changed here. You bet it has. This album is generating a lot of buzz already from the lucky people who have already heard this album. And now you can add me to that list as Heavy Glow have delivered the goods.
A 40-minute album packed full of heavy blues-rock aided a long with a lot of soul. Now this is what a top-notch Classic Psych Stoner Rock band should sound like. Heavy Glow play a more fast-paced proto-rock blues based kind of Stoner Rock and it is a great sound from start to finish.

First track to grab your attention is – 45 Shakedown. A blistering blues based number that will have you rocking out in no time at all. Groovy lyrics that come straight from a crime movie from the 1930s though matched with a modern hard rock twist. Heavy Glow embrace their Classic Rock roots with relish and it sees a very different band seen on their debut album. And that is a very good thing indeed. As Heavy Glow have spent their time away from the limelight wisely and have created a different side to their music.

Though Hard Rock fans should not worry as the album has plenty of hard rock riffs for you to check out. 2nd track – Look What You’re Doing To Me bleeds pure delta-soul mixed with hard-rocking riffs that pack a deep and very heavy soulful punch to the system. Front-man Jared vocals make you feel alive as his vocals have a huge likeability factor you cannot help digging.

3rd track Mine All Mine – has a slight QOTSA feel but with more soul and depth added to the mix. Heavy Glow show their appreciation and love for a whole style of sounds and vibes on this track. Blues, Hard Rock, Soul, Motown and even hints of Stoner Rock. It should not work but it does and that is down to the huge talent involved with this band.
4th track – Fat Cat – is a track that harks back once again to the legendary blues sound with snippets of swamp rock creeping in over and over again. Though the track is a dark cautionary tale that could easily describe the current financial crisis the world has recently gone through and still is in some parts of the world.

The band are on fire through out. They have written spellbinding lyrics and melodies to capture the essence of a band destined for truly great things. If you need more evidence, of how great this album is. Check out tracks such as Domino, Nerve Endings, Got My Eye On You and Headhunter, which appear on the 2nd half of the album.

Heavy Glow prove why they are considered one of the hotly tipped Blues/Stoner Rock bands to make strides in the music scene in 2014. Heavy Glow have released the perfect summer album with Pearls & Swine and Everything’s Fine. As they have blended so many vibes that will appeal to all musical fans of the rock musical spectrum. It truly is a stunning release that will have you coming back time and time again.

Excellent. End Of.

Thanks to Blair at Purge Records for sending a promo for us to review. Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine will be available to buy from all good stockists from June 3rd 2014 on CD and DD.

Check The Band From Links Below


Written by Steve Howe