Alunah – Violet Hour (Heavy Psych Sounds)

Alunah
Violet Hour
Heavy Psych Sounds

Links: Alunah | Heavy Psych Sounds

Beating down heavy riffs like a wall of darkness that settles in, Alunah’s debut release Violet Hour is everything you want from a dark and dreary night of doom-soaked metal. The UK band has spun an impressive weave of songs led by Siân Greenaway’s witchy mantra. Having to replace vocalist/guitarist Sophie Day, who departed from the band in 2017, her creative strength on this album sets a new level of precedence.

“Hunt” is the perfect example, crawling through the aura of broken soil, Greenaway’s creeping vocals spinning around power chords. We as the listener are hypnotized by their meditative prowess as the song manifests into a colossal chorus. “I am the hunter, you are my prey.” Daniel Burchmore’s bass pulse is as fearful as it is prominent through the song giving it a pulse that perpetuates adrenaline as if we really were really being hunted. What Alunah conjures up in this moment is something otherworldly that creates rapid pulse excitement.

Alunah – Trapped & Bound

The title track boasts a homage to 1970s acid rock built around Hammer horror vibrancy. I give it to Dean Ashton’s guitar tones for establishing a perfect psych rock roar. At its base, some of the grittiest power chords you will experience. Also being a part of Diamond Head doesn’t hurt.

You cannot deny “Velvet’s” Black Sabbath influence. It’s a trapping very few doom rockers of this caliber can escape. Yet, this song embraces it with force.

Like a poignantly poised tragedy, we are forced to death march to our doom on “Lake of Fire.” As Ashton’s guitars cry out, sealing our fate, the song takes Alunah to new depths. You wrap Greenaway’s sadness around you like a shroud. I cannot think of a more impressive end to an album of this velocity.