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Classic Rock For The Modern Generation

Hi Fuzzers! This week for your listening pleasure I present to you the self-titled debut album by Salem’s Bend, a hard rock band from Los Angeles whose members are Bobby Parker (Guitar/Vocals), Donny Doom (Bass) and Felix Shapiro (Drums).

Released on December 23rd, 2015 this really is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, with fuzz infused classic rock for young and old alike!

How is the sound?

With a list of influences that reads like a venerable who’s who of classic rock it would be easy to dismiss Salem’s Bend as simply another retro band, but they’ve added a host of other musical ingredients to the mix and cooked up something quite incredible.

‘Balshazzar’ opens proceedings with a bang, a pulsating rock song that really gets the blood pumping.

With more than a nod to Led Zeppelin, ‘Queen Of The Desert’ contains a great blend of tempos; velvet vocals that drift over some delicate stickwork and a dream-like bass groove intersperse seamlessly with a hard rock rhythm and fuzz drenched guitar.

‘Silverstruck’ is the only instrumental track on the album and this jazzy, prog rock jam once again highlights Salem’s Bends’ superb musicianship. ‘Losing Sleep’ will make insomniacs of us all with its high-tempo metal riffage and great vocal harmonies.

It was a very difficult task to pick just one favourite track but ‘Sun and Mist’ got my vote; a heady mix of a funk/psych groove, smooth vocals and drumming reminiscent of Dave Grohl’s with Them Crooked Vultures.

Fans of Queens Of The Stone Age will love ‘Mammoth Caravan’ whilst ‘A Tip of Salem’ brings the album to a spectacular finish with a doom/blues rock sound that suddenly morphs into a masterclass of heavy metal guitar playing.

It is not hyperbole when I say this is one of the best debut albums I have had the pleasure of listening to. Salem’s Bend deserve a wider audience and I sincerely hope they achieve that.

Why is this album worth listening?

Aside from the obvious quality of the musicians and the songwriting I feel the production and mixing deserves a mention. The sound levels of each instrument and the vocals are excellent, all complimenting each other perfectly rather than competing for the listeners ears.

In what situation you should listen to this album?

I personally like listening to this album on headphones to get lost in the richness of the sound.

Something particular to note?

Available as a digital download, on Compact Disc or Cassette via Bandcamp. Can we get a vinyl release, please?