MARS RED SKY

4.5 stars. Out of the seven tracks five are incredible while the other two I'd say are good. A very strong debut from this trio out of France playing a heavy brand of Space Rock often with the guitar down-tuned with a heavy drums/bass rhythm section. Vocals are the wild card not sounding like they belong to this style of music. For my tastes they sound a lot better on the debut here than the two albums that follow.

It feels like they decided after this recording to make the contrasts greater between the Doom-like sound and the vocals to the point the vocals seem lame sounding at times. Still I feel the two albums that follow are both 3.5 star recordings despite the vocals because these guys can write really good melodic tunes. This is the one to get though released in 2011 we get 40 minutes of very good music.

"Strong Reflection" opens with some "oh my" heavy bass lines and then the guitar joins in then drums and we have mid-paced sludgy sound. Vocals don't arrive until before 1 1/2 minutes and I really dig the lyrics on this one. "Our ship exploded in the sky, a strong reflection in my mind." This is not a Sci-Fi album though, in fact they named themselves MARS RED SKY because it just sounded cool.

Great opener though followed by "Curse" which is one of the simply good songs and the shortest at 4 minutes. "Falls" opens with the wind blowing and it will close the same way. A Native sounding beat takes over as bass comes and goes then some guitar expressions. A unique sound. At 1 1/2 minutes it gets heavy. Thunder as the guitar solos over top. Someone yells at 3 1/2 minutes. Yes this is awesome. A killer instrumental.

"Way to Rome" is a fun song with a cool story about riding that dark horse. "Saddle Point" opens with atmosphere as bass and acoustic guitar join in. Some Post-Rock styled guitar too. Ends like it began and this is the second and final instrumental. One of the simply good songs. "Marble Sky" is excellent with the vocals sounding different, like they're processed or something. It opens sounding like BLACK SABBATH which lasts about a minute. When the vocals step aside the guitar solos each time.

The closer "Up The Stairs" is my favourite. Those mono- toned vocals singing "Up the stair, climb up the stair, up to anywhere, anywhere, then I see you stare, see you stare..." this is all in a mellow bass/drum section and not until 4 minutes in! I like the echo on the vocals too. Nice buildup before we get vocals eh? It opens with catchy beats and deep bass lines then tasteful guitar. It kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes with down-tuned guitar. That changes after 3 minutes when it solos over top.

Most fans seem to rate the first three studio albums fairly evenly but for my tastes this one you need to have. Better lyrics, vocals and compositions in my opinion.

3.5 stars. MARS RED SKY are a trio out of France with this unique sound where we get this incredibly heavy sound with the guitar down-tuned and it's just so ground moving in the Doom-Metal vein. Not a lot of that but the contrast is the higher pitched vocals that sometimes don't work for me but usually it's all good. Still like the followup to this "Apex III" there are too many moments where I want to skip whole sections leaving me feeling I can't in good conscience give this 4 stars. So I'm giving this the same rating as the followup but this is slightly better in my opinion. The debut is the one to get and I have it lined up to spend some time with in the coming weeks. Everything about the debut is way better. It's like they decided after their debut to go in a certain direction, more focussed on contrasting the heavy and lighter moments while the debut is just a killer consistent album, it's not close.

Maybe the best example of that heaviness is the opening track where it starts off quiet then man the thunder arrives in a BLACK SABBATH way 30 seconds in. My top three would include the two instrumentals(surprise) plus "Hovering Satellites" the best vocal track in my opinion. I just like the lyrics better on this one along with the vocals. Good contrasts too between the light and heavy. "Arcadia" is the first instrumental I really like, a powerful mid-paced piece that plods along. So heavy duty after 4 1/2 minutes. The closer "Beyond The Light" is the other instrumental to make my top three. I'm really not into "Holy Mondays", either the vocals or the chorus. Some keys in this one which is rare although we get some on the opener as well. Not big on "Circles" either or "Seen A Ghost" but when these guys get it right for my tastes man they are so good.

I'm looking forward to that debut in the coming weeks.

This is album number three from this trio out of France. We get a bass, drum, guitar/vocal setup and they play a unique style of music. They describe themselves as BLACK SABBATH meets Simon And Garfunkel or Doom Pop. Some incredibly heavy sections here that usually don't last too long but it's the contrast with those mono-toned, whiney, lame, great vocals that soar that is surprising. When I have issues with this album it's one or the other, vocals or randomly getting hit over the head with a two-by-four in the form of Doom. But when it works man this is so good. Just too many issues with this one but less with their second album and no issues with the self titled debut from 2011 which is a great and consistent record. The drummer is a hard hitter in the 70's style.

Favourites are the combination of "(Alien Grounds)" and "Apex III" the first two tracks which are really one with "(Alien Grounds)" being the instrumental intro for the title track. The picked guitar that echoes shows up before 3 minutes on that title track. Some Doom on that second one with vocals. A mid-paced number with repeated themes. Man I'm not sure about "Friendly Fire" really up and down for my tastes, along with the closer "Prodigal Sun". The sad part is the bonus track is my favourite. Called "Shot In Providence" and sad because I never consider bonus tracks in my rating because they aren't part of the original album, it's an extra. Rarely do I even mention them unless they are good which is a rare thing I find. Big exception right here.

I'm looking forward to spending time with their second album "Stranded In Arcadia" soon. I like how they use the symbol on the cover of the debut on each of the albums that follow and in different places. A theme to these covers too with the colours and more.

A crushingly masterful piece of melodic doom metal, done through the lens of prog. Doom metal isn't normally the preserve for complex time signatures due to its slow speed, but this not quite so heavy take on the genre manages to work proggy complexity into the style wonderfully. Mars Red Sky each play their respective instruments excellently, managing to make a lighter take on doom, and make it experimental and make it good. "Strong Reflection" grabs you, and the other tracks are each in their own ways a treat. "Way To Rome is probably the best track amongst this embarrassment of musical riches. It simply is a wonderful gateway into doom that is also particularly unique and well done. Doomers and prog metal fans will both find plenty to love on this spectacular record, in a rare moment of crossover to boot.

The group's fabulously illustrated vinyl single starts with logical math rock orientated angles, leading to solid stoner riff passage. The melodic vocals and verses remind of 1960's psychedelic rock sounds, which merge to the more modern heavier sounds. With careful arrangements these elements synthesizing as pleasant psych tones and downwards descending instrumental drives. The B-side's "Sábada" focuses to some really slow downer blues spheres, and this instrumental song is in my opinion more convincing than lighter the title track. The solo guitar has also really pleasant acid tones, and along with the ever-strengthening echo treatments this song redeems the promises scripted to the stoned colour pencil drawing on the sleeve. A recommendable neat vinyl for collections of psychedelic stoner rock records certainly.