Review: Alunah ‘Fever Dream’

Alunah. These guys are coming at ya straight outta Sabbathville, and play a blend of metal with hooks, harmonies and grooves. Chopped up riffs tossed around with some chiming guitars and punchy vocals from (now former frontwoman) Siân Greenaway, whose tones I’d compare favourably to Elin Larson of Blues Pills fame.

So, drummer Jake Mason is the only founding member left in the line-up, with various people having come but the unit has powered on regardless. Fever Dream racks up album number #7 for the band. As for Alunah themselves, hypersonic guitar tones seem to be the order of the day, with some very tidy and precise playing from new(ish) guitarist Matt Noble. Bassist Dan Burchmore has an excellent and growly tone along with a thumping presence.

I really dig the opening riffage of Trickster Of Time, which gets repeated throughout the song. Busy, loping and interspersed with some slower antics and flute(?) that also makes several more appearances. It also probably contributes to the slight hint I was hearing throughout the album of The Mamas & The Papas as elements of the vocals also conjure that pack of fucking hippies

The title tune, Fever Dream, goes all-out with the vocals and the ethereal mood is very slick and gradually moves into a more heavy-duty landscape to ride it out whereas Hazy Jane has a much more dirty rock flavour along with a flourish of cool and snarly lil’ chord progressions coursing through it.

the vocals and the ethereal mood is very slick and gradually moves into a more heavy-duty landscape…

All manner of heavy-handed effects kinda add to the weird atmosphere on Sacred Grooves, a lumbering stoner doom track nestled midway through the record which is followed by Celestial, a brief instrumental interlude that kinda separates the two ‘sides’ while embracing some cool elements.

The opening drum crack and crunch of the guitar gives some new colour on Far From Reality, and some more flute as well before closing with I’ve Paid The Price. Sounding like a cross between a kind of finger exercise and a show tune, the piano is also a good touch that, to these ears, probably elevates it above the rest of the record as a result.

All up, Fever Dream is pretty good at what it does but ultimately didn’t quite hit me the way this sorta shite usually does. Maybe it was alla bit too sameish as a bit more variety wouldn’t have gone astray, and it would have maybe held my attention for a bit longer. Great playing, the songs individually are good but I needed a bit more.

Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: El Jefe