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Released on July 1, 2016 via RidingEasy Records
Purveyors of retro rock fuzz and groove RidingEasy Records, whom boast Mondo Drag, heavy riff nodding inducers Monolord plus others on their roster, embark on the release of the third album by Californians Slow Season. Members Daniel Rice (guitar, vocals), David Kent (guitar), Hayden Doyel (bass) and Cody Tarbell (drums) show they are fully committed to the cause as they have written, produced, engineered, and mixed, their long player entirely themselves using self-owned equipment to record on analogue tape.
It is of no surprise then that they fully endorse the sound and vibe of early classic rock originators of the 1970’s to the point of actually sounding like an authentic long lost relic, which may, of course, have been their aim. It is fair to say Slow Season’s third album is dipped and fried in Led Zeppelin batter and oil, while throws in a dash of Free inspired sauce for good measure. They also share a taste and feel of contemporaries Rival Sons, but the Long Beach Californians additional modern day sheen and panache make them sound er, rather contemporary in comparison.
Without wanting to enter into the debate and potential opening up of Pandora’s Box of trying to decipher the thin line between influence and stealing (the law courts have just got under way on this tricky matter involving Led Zeppelin and Spirit), there is no denying though, Slow Season can conjure a good slice of hypnotic fuzzy riff groove and swagger. This is best exemplified with opener ‘Y’wanna’ as it kicks in rather bluntly with a fine warped riff and a successful dollop of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats fuzziness into the bargain. It is when they continue this line of inquiry they are at their most intriguing as on the Led Zep ‘When the Levee Breaks’ inspired ‘Saurekong’.
They get lowdown and funky like the Lenny Kravitz ‘Always On the Run’ with ‘Flag’. While ‘The Jackal’ is a slow bluesy stomp which sees Daniel’s vocals unable to resist sliding into Robert Plant-esque wails. The possible highlights alongside ‘Y’wanna’ though are the entrancing riff and swerve of ‘Damascus’, and the funky rock catchiness of ‘Miranda’, mainly due to the achievement of a marked own stamp of a sound and Daniel this time able to restrain his urge to veer towards his hero’s distinctive style.
The album is tarnished and therefore let down by the latter stages, especially the closing track ‘Rainmaker’ where they completely forget the development of their own identity and sound hook, line, and sinker like a Led Zeppelin clone. This track should have remained within the four walls of their rehearsal room.
The enjoyment of this record and, indeed band, will probably rest on your view and ultimately taste of how far you want your Led Zep fix provided by someone else other than Jimmy Paige and the boys. This is comfort food for this reviewer so enjoyed, in parts, its all consuming embrace of early 70’s classic rock, but fear my fix in the long term will be mainly fulfilled by digging out albums by the originators combined with a few modern day bands who manage the tricky act of creating the classic rock template alongside the ability to offer a style all of their own, for example Rival Sons and Temperance Movement, to name but two. But this long player is a step in the right direction for Slow Season who have delivered their best record so far.
