Wicked Snakes, a four-piece rock band hailing from Staffordshire, crashed onto the scene last year: the abandonment of previous projects led to this young bunch getting together to create their own slick brand of psychedelic doom rock music. And it seems to have paid off – last year, they signed to A Wolf At Your Door Records, the label that seems to sniff out the best in up-coming British music, as well as support slots with acts such as Black Shapes. And now, they’re gearing up to release their psychedelic album ‘Sleep Dance’ nearly an exact year after the release of their boisterous and rowdy EP ‘Lead Me to the Sun’.
Opener ‘First Light’ sets up the album nicely; it’s a rather slow and steady start, with riffs that make it sound like they’re snake charmers from the depths of India, but Luke Davis’ powerful vocals quietly simmer beneath the surface before exploding during tracks such as ‘Explosive Colour’. ‘Desert Haze’ is a sleazy mix of saucy guitar licks, while ‘Cold Moon Rise’ contains an impressive and forceful one-minute riff that ends the track on a solid high, and leaves fans wanting more and more from this band.
‘Dusk’, one of the highlights of this album, is a beautiful acoustic affair. Davis’ vocals work incredibly well in such a setting; stripped down to the bare bones, this track offers a mere glimpse of the talent that Wicked Snakes has. ‘Lone Whale Song’ contains huge and potent riffs, while the drum work during ‘Bejewelled Sky’ is colossal.
Closer ‘Dream In Paralysis’ is an eerie track, full of sombre vocals, before launching into something that’s gritty and hard-hitting. Wicked Snakes know how to keep listeners on their toes, teasing them with punchy melodies and tremendous hooks to reel them in, as seen during ‘Wonder & Delirium’.
‘Sleep Dance’ is a catalogue of twelve tracks, boasting the understated power that this quartet possesses. It’s colourful, bold, and dynamic – they’ve already made an impression within the scene, but this is a release that will them apart from their fellow British counterparts. And if the smashing year that they’ve had so far is anything to go by, then Wicked Snakes are on their way to a very, very bright future.
JESS TAGLIANI