Cities of Mars is a band from
planet Mars, euh, planet Earth, more specifically from Gothenburg, Sweden. They’re
a fuzzed-out sci-fi conceptual doom trio. They’ll be releasing their eponymous third
album through the mighty Ripple Music label this coming May 20.
Oftentimes when a band releases
an eponymous album that’s not their debut LP, it’s because they’re switching
gears and changing their musical direction. I believe the Swedish trio is constantly
evolving and now that they’ve reached a certain peak, it felt natural to call
the album Cities of Mars. The fact
that it’s a sci-fi concept album about the red planet also makes it an ideal
title for this record. It’s the story of a Soviet cosmonaut discovering an
ancient Martian city in 1971 who awakens a sleeping conspiracy. Along the way,
get ready to experience massive riffs, ethereal melodies, and masterful vocals set
against a backdrop brimming with sounds that are out of this world.
The band is composed of Danne
Palm on lead vocals/synth/bass, Christoffer Norén on guitar/lead vocals, and
Johan Aronstedt on drums/backing vocals. At times Palm’s voice is reminiscent
of The Scorpions’ Klaus Meine which adds some nice textures to the proceedings.
The first single, “Towering Graves”, is a definite highlight of the album and a
great snapshot of what awaits the listener in a nutshell. “Song of a Distant
Earth” is a short gem of an acoustic song. There’s also the double threat of
dual lead vocals for a number of tracks including “A Dawn of No Light”, “The
Dreaming Sky”, and “Reflected Skyline” where Palm and Norén complement one
another impeccably. The conclusion of the story comes with the 12-minute sprawling
epic “The Black Shard.” I’m usually not a fan of lengthy epic songs unless they
have a valid reason to exist, but this one delivers on all fronts and is my
favourite song and the strongest track of the entire record in my opinion.
This is a brilliant album, folks.
It will immerse you within its intricate soundscape and fill your mind with dazzling
sci-fi imagery. This is Cities of Mars at their most ambitious, showing that
they’ve matured both lyrically and from a musicianship perspective since 2019’s
excellent The Horologist (their first
album on Ripple Music). Cities of Mars,
the album, is a sludgy, proggy, doomy affair heavy on atmosphere that deserves
your utmost attention. Pre-order your copy today and enjoy it at your leisure on
this side of the galaxy.
Cities of Mars’ Bandcamp page: https://citiesofmars.bandcamp.com/
Ripple Music’s Cities of Mars Bandcamp page: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/cities-of-mars
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