Yuma Sun describe their music as ‘dommesdagrock’ – which translates from the Norwegian as ‘doomsday rock’. It’s an appropriate enough description, and ably conveys the portentous style they pursue.
But then, there’s stomping country-tinged gypsy folk (St Louise), sprawling, brawling rock ‘n’ roll (‘Give Me Fever’) and a whole host of roustabout ragamuffin ruckuses and brooding anthems to be found here.
There are some more conventional rock moments, too, and these are the album’s weaker points largely because they suffer from being laced alongside songs of such strength and character – and in contrast sound a bit ordinary. The piano-le d ‘Violets to Stone’ (remixed by Chris Vrenna, formerly of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson) conjures the dark soul of Depeche Mode. ‘This is hell!’ Jaran Hereid howls. The tempo and torment are amped up considerably on the gothy ‘The Judas Tree’. The sweeping majesty of ‘High Road’ is indeed worthy of the term ‘epic’.
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Lyrically, Yuma Sun are preoccupied with apocalypse, old-testament style. The biblical enormity of the themes and their presentation, littered as they are with images of Adam’s fall, scenes of fire and brimstone, is well-suited to the scale of their musical vision and its passion-filled delivery. It’s powerful stuff.
Yuma Sun Online
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