Sunday, April 24, 2022

Review: Cities of Mars - Cities of Mars

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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