Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
From the Isle Of Man, U.K. comes the arrival of the “Badlands Part One” EP début from MAN IN THE WOODS.
Today, we must ask ourselves if we can see the forest for the trees, as we will ultimately overview this release by taking a look at some of its finer aspects. Those components are the musical traits taking place on the recording and we find that they are clearly of a heavy fuzz rock/stoner metal nature. Over the span of four tracks that clock in a bit under 19 minutes of playing time, this EP provides the perfect perspective from which to catch a glimpse of (the) MAN IN THE WOODS.
Marc Vincent (bass/vocals), James Oxtoby (guitar), Dave Murray (guitar), and Christian Hardman (drums) take flight on “Icarus Landing“. After a brief, trippy intro, things explode into desert-hewn sludge, possessing pulsing rhythms and grooves. Hard, gravelly vocals and ever-altering, energized intensities in the music all make their mark, as well.
Those marks are repeatedly deepened with the raging “Speedeater“, a desert rock free for all, and the hazy head jammer, “Toxicology“. The lyrics of the latter are what I found quite intriguing, references to a killing spree, a burning cross, guns, and Marc’s incessant cries of “I’m no good” in the choruses are more than enough to piqué one’s curiosity.
Things are eventually brought to a close with the pummeling heavyweight “Angel Of Gasoline“, a raucous, riff-driven dose of heavy rock. It weaves and winds its way across the airwaves like an engine powered by volatile guitars, with flammable rhythms providing the thrust. The burly vocals and some high-octane guitar solos add fuel to this song’s searing fire.
With that, you should now have a better handle on what terrains lie within “Badlands Part One” from MAN IN THE WOODS. Such a fantastic first time and hopefully the EP’s title is implying that a Part Two is to follow at some point.
You can stream the EP above in our review or race over to Bandcamp [HERE] for further streaming and purchase options.
