Before we go any further, let’s get one thing out of the way: this album is absolute fire! Just how I like them; a ‘70s-inspired doom/rock n’ roll affair. Helmed by singer/bassist Brenna Leath (of Lightning Born fame), drummer Tradd Yancey, and featuring Mike Deloatch and Mike Dean on guitars, Crystal Spiders give us their first full-length album. This is one of those albums that had me at hello. Full disclosure: I have a penchant for female fronted occult doom/heavy psych bands. Brenna’s vocals feel like she’s a mermaid whose singing would have driven sailors mad and have them crashing their ships against the rocks on the shore. And crashing, my friends, has never felt so sweet!
The album opens with “Trapped”, a hypnotic and heavy tune storming guns-blazing out of the gate. On to the next track, the album-titled track, “Molt”, a straight-up punk/rock number reminiscent of Joan Jett’s former band, The Runaways, only heavier and faster. Next up is “Tigerlilly”, a head-bopping kind of song. Next up is “Chronic Sick”, a slow, sludgy, doomy, slow-burn type of song. Track number five is “C.U.N. Hell”, one of the singles off the album. It’s easily one of the catchiest songs on the record with its hard-driving riffs. We move to “Gutter”, and this one’s a keeper; a smoking-hot song with a very hypnotic, highly addictive quality to it. “The Call” is rock n’ roll galore! If you wanna get your rocks off, this is the perfect song for it. “Headhunters” feels more like an interlude than a song but I’m really digging the vibe. We save the best for last, or at least my personal favorite: “Fog”. This right here is epic-sounding heavy psych/doom at its best, the kind of song you put on repeat on Halloween night while the kids gather to ring your doorbell to get some candy or to welcome your guests to a horror movie marathon.
The verdict is quite simple; as I said from the get-go, this album is hotter than Hades. It’s a must-have in every sense of the word; very accessible, mainstream yet independent, delivers the goods in spades if you’re into doom/psych/occult/old school rock. Unless you really don’t like female lead vocals, I’d say this is a must-buy. Yep, it goes into the 2020 best of the year candidates for me. I truly hope this isn’t just a project and that we wind up seeing many more releases/albums from this incarnation/lineup in the near future.
Crystal Spiders’ Bandcamp page: https://crystalspiders.bandcamp.com/album/molt
Ripple Music’s Crystal Spiders page: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/molt
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