High Tone Son Of A Bitch: Live at The Hallowed Halls

High Tone Son Of A Bitch is a stoner/doom metal band hailing from Oakland, California. The band formed in 2002 by brothers Paul and Andrew Kott. In 2007 Andrew passed away unexpectedly which proved to be too much for the band to overcome and they soon disbanded. Fast forward to 2019 and the band’s reformation. Their latest effort is titled Live at The Hallowed Halls, a live in studio recording. Playing on the album are:

Russ Kent (vocals)
Jake Navarra (guitar and vocals)
Paul Kott (guitar)
Billy Anderson (bass)
Bryce Shelton (keyboards)
Eric Rancourt (drums)
Guests:
Rob Wrong (guitar on “Silhouette�)
Andrea Vidal (vocals on “John the Baptist�)
Matt Pike (vocals and lead guitar on “Monuments to Ruins�)

“Silhouette� is just a great track to start the performance, beginning with moody and introspect guitar and keyboards, the drums entering with a subtle touch, then exploding with a thunderous guitar riff and fabulous lead vocals from Kent. The band reveals psychedelic textures and moody instrumental exchanges before impressive dueling guitars from Kott and Wrong really get cooking. On “Wicked Threads� a lush synth intro builds with arpeggiated guitar, slowly evolving as drums and bass enter, a sort of mesmerizing and thoughtful sound and then enters the awesome lead vocals of Kent, very melodic with incredible conviction. Just a great track. With “John The Baptist�, serene guitar ventures into moody psychedelics and doom flavoured riffage. Duet vocals from Kent and guest artist Andrea Vidal is an album highlight. With “Death of a New Day� the vocals and guitar riffs are a near perfect combination before moving into a quieter section with tasty clean guitar soloing and wonderful synth work. I love how the band combine heavy and lighter elements. On “Tribute�, a slow heavy doom groove and riff recall Black Sabbath and the lead vocals soar majestically. Possibly my favourite track is “Monuments to Ruins� having a huge epic sound with punishing guitar riffs and Shelton’s ever present synths. Kent and Pike’s vocals really deliver the goods on this one.

The DVD covers all seven tracks and does a nice job capturing the band’s energy.

Live at the Hallowed Halls is just a fabulous slice of psychedelic doom, and one of my favourite albums from 2022, regardless the genre.

A Ripple Music release.

Track Listing:
1. Silhouette (8:53)
2. Wicked Threads (4:35)
3. John the Baptist (7:52)
4. Death of a New Day (7:04)
5. Tribute (7:58)
6. Monuments to Ruins (5:32)
7. Ten Mountain High (Bonus Track) (6:55)

Added: May 20th 2023
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 798
Language: english

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