The Sons of Death Valley drag you into a life of 19th century outlaw Joaquim Murrieta. A man who would tell stories of oppression, unity and dreams of freedom, but lived in grief with a dying wish for bloody revenge. The Sons are here to hold our hand, as they take us through the dirtiest corners of the valley.
Formed in 2014 in Denmark, they quickly received high acclaim with their debut record Day of Reckoning in 2015. Touring the world with the likes of Snot, Crowbar and LIMB to name just a few, has led the Sons to enter the realm of record-making once again.
Getting off to a plucking great start, reminiscent of “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi, but the plucking of strings changes to a distorted guitar rush. This is “Wars” and Sons of Death Valley hit me with a slight level of anxiety or surprise. Judging a book by its cover is a superb way to find out your judging. The band’s profile is a western outlaw style picture; they mention in their blurb of an outlaw looking for bloody revenge. “Wars” starts off as a judging period, with plucked strings. But then, Dan Christensen screams into the mic. A scream that destroys this judging contest.
The Sons are a hardcore Danish band that’ll leave listeners laying in their wake. Fathers of the Free doesn’t let up. The riffs crunch, scream while surrounded by a plethora of emotions. “Fight Song” and “The Undertaker” are rousing hardcore anthems. “Fight Song” with its mixture of clean and unclean vocals is an energizer. Kim Glem hits drums with ferocity. “The Undertaker” continues their force onto our ears. I’m chanting “Fear the Reaper” or “Unless we annihilate” which are not wise words to speak on a first date. Lasse Johannson’s bass lines are courteous to the Sons, enabling the others to let the power flow.
The cohesion of the Sons is impressive. “Death is Coming” changes style slightly with less unclean vocals and more of a flow. Kim Glem once again forces the wind to change with his skills. “Your God” lowers the hardcore vibe, a repetitive beat with clean vocals, but don’t fret, a severe guitar riff appears from nowhere. This is hard rock n roll where Defecto’s Nicklass Sonne makes an appearance and certainly changes the dynamics of the record.
Throughout “Redemption”, there’s a battle of riffs between Lars Homehoj and Stefan Anderson on the axe, both grind on this instrument throughout the record.
I’ve never heard of the Sons of Death Valley before. These Danish cats sound like they are evolving from their debut record, which I checked out after this record to hear what they originally sounded like. These Scandinavian countries seem to have musical secrets lying wait to show the world what they are about. The Sons of Death Valley are not a country rock band, they play hardcore metal with a story that needs to be told.
Fathers of the Free is released on 12th May
Sons of Death Valley: facebook
