Review: Blue Heron ‘Everything Fades’

Hailing from my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Blue Heron made an instant impact in desert rock circles with their 2022 debut Ephemeral. A heavy, spacious, riffy exercise in desert rock, both sonically and geographically, that boasted among their ranks, longtime veterans of the global stoner rock community. Vocalist Jadd Shickler was a co-founder of MeteorCity in the late ‘90s, one of the few labels back then that was releasing records by stoner rock and doom metal bands, which included early releases from luminaries such as Nebula, Dozer, and Lowrider.

Shickler now runs the much lauded and completely awesome label Blues Funeral Recordings. In addition, he along with guitarist Mike Chavez played together in the early ’00s stoner rock band Spiritu, who were well received releasing a single, self-titled LP and did some national touring to support their efforts. On Everything Fades, Shickler and Chavez are once again joined by their absolutely crushing rhythm section of bassist Steve Schmidlapp and drummer Ricardo Sanchez, who are the aural equivalent of a ten-ton anchor. With this latest release, Blue Heron immediately displays their evolution as this record, while a natural progression of the sounds heard on Ephemeral, is a leap forward in tone, execution and scope.

This nine-track opus is definitely not in a hurry to get started as opener Null Geodesic, with some samples on time and distance, I’m guessing from physicist Richard Feynman(?), is practically an aural appetizer with a bit of music and Shickler’s gravel-voiced vocals that set up first single and title track, Everything Fades, which is also a slow-burn, before finally erupting into a fuzzy, colossal, riff-march wherein the vocals are burly enough to keep up with the massive, mountain-moving heaviness his fellow musicians have unleashed.

Swansong also takes its time getting going, but once it arrives, it presents to this reviewer’s ears as a fuzz-crackling, mash-up of mid ‘90s stoner rock and grunge as Shickler shows off his range and ability to conjure a harmonized, soaring chorus, which flows parallel to Blue Heron’s massive aural churn. The second single, We Breathe Darkness, stays in the previously introduced musical lane, as it were, featuring a massive build, rolling drums, plenty of twists and turns, and Shickler’s crooning, which drifts between his gravel roar and a more melodic approach, that reminds me of his work in Spiritu in places.

The aptly-named Dinosaur, which was the last single and video released, boasts the now familiar rhythmic rumble from Schmidlapp and Sanchez, who both sound gigantic here, coupled with some Kyuss/QOTSA-esque guitar noodles from Chavez and really one of the first real callbacks to that Kyuss influence that was heard on Spiritu, but here, it’s balanced by a massive walking riff that gives the song a hint of menace.

one of the best desert rock albums I’ve heard all year…

Trepidation is a killer, spaced-out, psychedelic instrumental, anchored by the bass and boasts plenty of next-dimension guitar playing, while Clear Mountain is another enormous, dense yet spacious, riff-fest, that has some Greenleaf vibes while taking the listener on a proverbial musical journey through tumble-weed strewn, deserted New Mexico highways.

Bellwether is a late-album sonic epic, cemented by the rolling, pounding drums that once again take the listener on a heavy, rock and roll journey through the band’s universe. Shickler sings his ass off throughout the song, getting rugged when need be, but carrying things with a more melodic approach that serves the music well. The album reaches its conclusion with the fuzzy, desert rock vibes and Kyuss-style riffing of Flight Of The Heron, which is a pummeling, empathic, album-closing instrumental.

Throughout Everything Fades, Blue Heron sounds huge and confident, some of Shickler‘s Dozer and Kyuss influence, which, given his longtime pedigree in this genre of rock and roll, are totally warranted, seemingly give way to more of his, and his bandmates, own vision and sound. As well, he really shows off his vocal diversity, alternating between a full-on rock and roll roar along with a more melodic croon.

All of the musicians shine throughout, Chavez’s tone, while familiar, is also unique to him and I can’t say enough about the chest-caving rhythm section of Schmidlapp and Sanchez who really hold it all down throughout, with the drums sounding like cannons going off.

Everything Fades is a fantastic, unique album filled with all sorts of musical movements, twists and turns, keeping the listener engaged, guessing what’s around the next corner and, to my jaded ears, it’s one of the best desert rock albums I’ve heard all year that will undoubtedly show up on many a year-end list. Awesome cover art too, befitting of the sounds within the grooves. Recommended.

Label: Blues Funeral Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Martin Williams