Album Review: Luna Sol - 'Blood Moon'.

While hard to identify a favourite episode from the superb Foo Fighters documentary series ‘Sonic Highways’, the Los Angeles desert rock feature perfectly captured how a nascent music scene can emerge and blossom into a genre pretty much defined by its geographical location. The now-legendary generator parties, that gave rise to bands like Kyuss and QOTSA, harnessed a spirit ripe for collaboration to create music infused with a laid-back soul while extolling the virtues of low end riffs and stoner haze.

Luna Sol sound much like you’d expect from a band with strong links to this particular scene. Fuzz-soaked riffs, rhythms that keep your head nodding and a great melodic howl are certainly the order of the day. The Denver-based band, lead by David Angstrom, have a notable musical pedigree and, in line with the aforementioned collaborative spirit, pulled together an impressive roster of Desert Rock Who’s Who (including John Garcia and Nick Oliveri) willing to offer a hand to their ‘Blood Moon‘ debut.

Opener ‘Bridges’ immediately invokes thoughts of Kyuss’s ‘Thumb’ from the off, which is in all honestly no bad thing. Just when things start sounding too familiar, a bass breakdown leads to some nifty guitar solo work (a feature of the album) providing a soaring ending to a strong opener. ‘Death Mountain’ and ‘Leadville’ roll along on some classic stoner metal riffing, while that familiar John Garcia shriek on ‘December’ makes you wish you were partying with friends in the U.S. desert outback, coated with sand and beer, as opposed to instead being stuck in southern England watching the winter months drift in.


‘Standley Lake’ and ‘Pretty Rotten’ up the riff stakes and add some welcome pace to proceedings, while ‘Operator’ jams along with some kick-backed hooks and lingering power chords. However, it’s ‘Your War’ that really stands out. Beginning with a blues lick and impassioned vocals, a great groove of a riff raises its head and provides a catchy segue into the album’s most memorable chorus. Just when you think the track has peaked, some decisive guitar work raises the tension. It’s a great track.



Overall, ‘Blood Moon’ is a enjoyable listen, with several belters that will stay in the memory for a while. Give it a whirl.

Words of DS_convertible.

'Blood Moon' was released through Cargo Records on 11th September 2015 and is available for digital download via iTunes.

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