Review: Sidewinder ‘Talons’
The soft gentle strumming of the guitar and opening words from new vocalist Jem Tupe, don’t quite prepare you for the avalanche of noise that emanates out of the speaker with the opening track Guardians. It then settles down in a groovy rhythm that fits well into the hard rock/stoner scene that New Zealanders Sidewinder are part of.
Talons is a welcome return for the quintet and is the follow-up to their 2022 debut album Vines. The opening five minutes give you a taste of what the band are all about and a by-product of their tight, high-energy performances that have come about from touring with the likes of Orange Goblin and Sasquatch.
The pulsating riffs from guitarists Ben Sergent and Thomas Rousell are evident in the next few tracks, Wasted Space, Prisoner and The Depths as Sargent said, ‘this album is a lot darker and heavier that our last one’. However, it’s the groovy undertones of the bass from Sean Fitzpatrick, (not the famous Kiwi hooker I’m assuming) that stand out for me. They set the rhythm section up perfectly, alongside drummer Grant Lister which allows the haunting voice of Tupe to dominate in every aspect.
It’s got swathes of monumental grooves across the eight new songs, and you can sense the spirits of Church of Misery and Kyuss being summoned from the depths of wherever they may lie. It is all encapsulated perfectly in the stunning Disarm The King which is the stand out track for me. It’s a short, punchy, high-octane riff-driven song that draws influence from the Louisiana sludge scene and presents itself like a proud peacock showing off its feathers as it struts along an open field.
like a proud peacock showing off its feathers as it struts along an open field…
They follow this up with Desert Song which has a fuzzy guitar tone that wouldn’t look out of place on any classic stoner album. The band have ‘some monster riffs, some great psych and doom sections and plenty of eerie, swampy blues’ further explains Sergent and you can feel that southern rock bursting through in fits and starts, with just an added touch of ‘90s grunge thrown in for good measure.
The sonic exploration continues with Northern Lights and the dramatic, spooky vocals of Tupe on display, but it’s that killer and potent bass from Fitzpatrick that again shines through, driving the song forward. They end their heavier, darker and more formidable album with Yggdrasil to give yet another example of their move towards writing more compelling stoner/doom songs, and if this is a sign of things to come, then I’m jumping on board the Sidewinder train.
Label: Wyrmwood Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
