An Anthemic And Edgy Rock Soiree from Goodnight Sky
- BuzzSlayers
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The latest album released from Goodnight Sky manages to blend together some of the best elements of alternative rock, desert rock, a bit of stoner, and even doom in its underbelly, along with some experimental and even slightly psychedelic approaches placed and peppered throughout the record's course.
The guitar work is absolutely ridiculous throughout this whole thing. Some of the main riffs are really what give this a bit of a desert rock feel, along with the tones of the guitars themselves.
You can tell a lot of attention went into the tone of those instruments because they have a certain warmth that comes right along with the edginess of it all.
This is a really important aspect of the record because you can tell this was planned. I think it was nailed.
The riffs are winding, bendy, and endlessly fun, and a lot of it comes along with a bit of a vast undertone which feels a little bit cinematic at times.
A great example of this is the very first track, "Shiva", which comes right in with a great bending riff that showcases a little bit of attitude before bursting into an entire sonic wall of sound that comes crashing down everywhere.
I think some of the vastness and spaciousness that the record delivers comes from some of the effects and vocal approaches.
The vocals feel a little bit nineties, which is something I really like, and they also come through feeling anthemic a lot of the time.
This, of course, helps build on that cinematic backbone I mentioned earlier.
None of the instruments or vocals are dry. Everything is dabbed and dipped in all kinds of great effects, but nothing is over the top.
For example, the vocals are perfectly touched with this sort of reverb feel that really helps the belting sections come through powerfully.
I don't always touch on the mix of a record, but I feel like whoever mixed this album really understood the mission.
This first single on the record is absolutely perfect to open the door for the rest of the release.
You're definitely getting some of the big staples that the album will boast right on this first track alone.
Having said that, there are plenty of surprises around its corners, and this is absolutely an album you want to listen to all the way through, from start to finish.
It feels almost like an adventure. This album is almost like watching a movie, in a strange sense.
Digging deeper into the desert and stone of rock feel is the unmatched "Sex Marks The Spot", which is hands down one of my favorite songs on the record.
The guitars are pulling off some great sort of grungy, dirty-style riffs that make you think of anyone from Queens of the Stone Age to CKY.
You can also start to hear keys and synthesizers coming into play here. They really showcase more of that expansive tonality and how the songs come through feeling layered and with awesome depth.
The bass guitar tone is spot on as well. The low end of the record feels kind of fat, but you can also hear that bass guitar really clearly throughout everything, so it gives you a lot of punch along the way. It's not just all low end.
The drummer is absolutely outstanding.
I feel like the drumming on the record is really what drives it. A lot of the rest of the band seems to be pushing off of the energy that the drummer delivers, and it really helps set the stage for these songs.
He doesn't just sit in the pocket, but instead adds a great electric energy and liveliness to a lot of these tracks. You also know exactly what he's doing in terms of dynamic balance and being subtle when he wants to, or exploding when he wants to.
"Glue" comes right in with a huge and heavy punch, definitely giving more of that doom and stoner energy than anything else. The riffs are really sort of sludgy, but everything sounds pristine. This is a great combination and also showcases how the band can balance tone really well.
This whole record is really all about being able to deliver a thick body of work that wants to give you everything from a deepening set of textures along with a little bit of alternative heaviness along with slight elements of trippiness that show face here and there, and songwriting that feels powerful and packed with character.
This is a memorable record that definitely felt really huge in terms of that Sonic presence and drive, but also leaned a lot on heavy-handed melodies to make things work.
I would definitely, once again, suggest that you listen to the record from start to finish.
Listening to one or two tracks will give you a bit of an idea of what you might expect, but it will not give you anywhere near the full spectrum the full album has to offer.
Listening to the whole record as I can escape that pulls you away from wherever you are, and whatever you're doing, I put you in a different headspace.
It's almost like reading a book. You wouldn't skip chapters in a book, nor would I suggest skipping songs on this album.
The record is called Magnum Opiate, and you should already be listening to this while you're reading this review.
If you're not, you're doing it wrong.
Remember where you heard it first.
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