Foxholes, The: Sci-Fox

Having recently encountered the 2021 album Hex from Spanish outfit The Foxholes, the band were kind enough to send me two of their previous studio albums for appraisal, and I have to say that they would appear to be a remarkably consistent act. Across the albums I’ve heard, a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks intertwine, with this band getting their message across most often through some cleverly nuanced riffology that lands somewhere between progressive, stoner, blues and straight up rock. Sci-Fox saw the light of day in 2017 and with six tracks - and a bonus from an earlier release - doesn’t outstay its welcome as it utilises some insistent guitar work by way of building the foundations from which everything else here is built.

For my taste the vocals from Jonah A Luke are maybe just a little too straight forward to make a lasting mark, but when laced across the mix of staccato riffage and huge synth swathes that make up “La Ciencia de la Confusion�, the marriage adds a strength that wasn’t evident when he operates in a more lonesome moment. And that remains this band’s calling card, with strikes of six-string that should be bludgeoning cleverly held back to make for a strangely accessible mix that never feels like a compromise. The whole experience is laced with drama, with the likes of the instrumental “Andromeda Blues� opening like an aggressive Alan Parsons slice of grandeur before lumbering into a stomping piece of riffola that takes no prisoners - although it still somehow does so with a lightness of touch that proves a pleasant and maybe at times Rush like surprise.

The main album is bookended by the two part title track, which really adds another layer of space-like-scope to proceedings. And I must admit that this aspect brings intrigue in a way that I personally find much more engaging than the more perfunctory lyric led tracks “Mephistopheles� and “Tierra Ni Hogar�. The combination of Luke’s guitar prowess, Max ‘Mojo’ Moritz’s powering bass and the pin-point drum work from Angel Milian is really rather heady, and special mention is also deserved for the bonus track “Cada Miercoles� - originally from the Com O Doin Fier No album - which fits in here nicely, and also the excellent artwork from Ivan Garcia.

Sci-Fox isn’t quite as realised and rounded as the Hex album this outfit most recently put out, but that’s not to say that there isn’t lots here to get excited about. If spaced up, progressive riff rock is your thing, you really should be seeking out The Foxholes for your latest fix.

Track Listing
1. Sci-Fox Pt.I
2. La Ciencia de la Confusion
3. Andromeda Blues
4. Mephistopheles
5. Tierra Ni Hogar
6. Sci-Fox Pt.II
Bonus Track
7. Cada Miercoles

Added: May 21st 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Foxholes @ bandcamp
Hits: 569
Language: english

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