Kingcrimsonprog 2013’s Whales & Leeches is the third full-length album from the Portland, Oregan band Red Fang. Much like their previous album Murder The Mountain there is a mixture of Hard Rock, Stoner and Sludge sounds to be heard, and there is an emphasis on strong riffs. It ranges from being vaguely reminiscent of Kyuss to Mastodon to Neurosis on a surface level but usually within a short two-four minute rock track.

The music is kind of deceptively dense, due to its riffy nature, low vocals and raw earthy production, which may appear monotonous at first but can reveal hidden depths and great variety to those who persist, so its somewhat of a grower and may take a few listens to fully get into. Then again, with that being said it is more instant than their previous album. Really; its worth giving it that little bit of extra attention as the music is all very strong and interesting, even it if it doesn’t always jump out at you as immediately.

Stylistically, the album sees the band evening up their sound into a more cohesive whole. On previous records, they would have separate categories of songs, from more melodic cleaner tracks, to sludgy numbers, to slow Doomy numbers. On their debut for example, you could hear two different Red Fang songs and think they were from two completely different bands. On this album they mix all their styles together on each song, so tracks like ‘This Animal’ and ‘Every Little Twist’ and the brief punky Title Track are particularly interesting to listen to, and provide variety without making you sit up and ask “is this a different band?” – You can get a whiff of Blues, Hardcore or Doom all in the one track at times.

For me, the two strongest tracks are the opening two tracks, the excellent opener ‘Doen’ which contains the album’s best riff, and the catchy single ‘Blood Like Cream.’ Another highlight is the hypnotic seven-minute album centerpiece ‘Dawn Rising,’ which has some of the best vocals on the whole album.

Overall, Whales & Leeches is an interesting addition to the band’s catalogue and a logical next-step in the evolution of their sound. Its a solid album and if you usually enjoy things in this general area of the musical spectrum its worth investigating. If you are an existing fan, I suspect if you liked the track ‘Dirt Wizard’ from their previous record, you’ll really enjoy this one. If you haven’t heard the band before, but like bands like Mastodon, Kylesa, Black Tusk, Dozer or Baroness this is something you may be interested in. Its not actually all that similar to any one of those band, but it is loosely in the same ballpark as all of them.

Kingcrimsonprog 2011’s Murder The Mountains is the second full-length album from Red Fang. It is somewhat of a grower and may take a few listens to fully get into, as while the music is all very strong and interesting, it doesn’t jump out at you as immediately as tracks from their previous album like ‘Prehistoric Dog,’ did, for example, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded for your patience.

While reading a list of other bands in relation to one band can often be annoying; Red Fang are often described as being suitable for fans of bands like Mastodon, Baroness, Clutch, Melvins, The Sword, Fu Manchu and Queens Of The Stone Age and this does a good job not only of describing which end of the musical spectrum they sit on, but also the fact that the band flit psychotically between styles. Red Fang are compared to all the aforementioned artists seriously and not just because of touring partnerships or basic genre comparisons.

For example, the opening track ‘Malverde,’ is tom-based with complex instrumentation and sludgey vocals reminiscent of Baroness and Early Mastodon but the very next track ‘Wires,’ is a bouncy, simplistic good time rock and roll number with clean and melodic vocals reminiscent of QOTSA, at least until the atmospheric proggy build up in the middle, at which point things change once more into a grand and spacey direction reminiscent of modern Mastodon.

In the space between two songs, or even half a song Red Fang completely shift direction and cover all sorts of ground along the Stoner/Sludge/Progressive-Sludge areas of the genre, while still maintaining an original identity. Their sound can be dark, dense and brooding but it can also be bright, happy and bouncy.

Album highlights include the speedy and impressive ‘Painted Parade,’ the melodic Stoner-Rock track ‘Number Thirteen,’ as well as the upbeat ‘Hank Is Dead’ and the aforementioned ‘Wires.’ Overall; Murder The Mountains is a good record from Red Fang, while not exactly being a whirlwind of originality, they are musically competent and deliver this sort of music very well. Though it has been much said before, if you enjoy the sort of music that the aforementioned bands make, then you should give Red Fang a try; they use the same sorts of scales, play the same sorts of notes and arrange music in the same sorts of ways that those bands do.

J-Man If absolutely filthy, sludgy, and doomy heavy metal is what you're looking for, Red Fang may be right up your alley. Murder the Mountains, the band's second album and first for Relapse Records, is a high-quality effort filled with raunchy riffs that should satisfy anyone in search for some raw and heavy rock and roll. Red Fang does have a few kinks to work out by the time their next album rolls around, but this is a generally strong major-label debut for these American lads.

The music here is doom/sludge heavy rock. There are also quite a few alternative tendencies that lead me to think of acts like Soundgarden or Queens of the Stone Age. The guitar tones used on this album are very distorted and just plain filthy - the entire production also has a raw, unpolished edge that's absolutely irresistible! Although there is variation between compositional styles, the whole album has a bit of a "samey" feel that can be a bit detrimental in the end. There is an unquestionably accessible edge on Murder the Mountains, and maybe that (combined with the lack of instrumental variation) can lead to the "samey" feeling I develop about halfway through the record.

Despite its flaws, Murder the Mountains is a fun listen and a highly recommendable purchase for fans of dirty heavy rock/heavy metal. I'll be keeping a close eye on what lies ahead for Red Fang. 3 stars are deserved here.

UMUR Murder the Mountains is the 2nd full-length studio album by US heavy metal/ stoner metal act Red Fang. The album was released in April 2011 by Relapse Records.

The music on Murder the Mountains is a very accessible and hookladen form of metal/ stoner metal. I think of bands like Soundgarden, Corrosion of Conformity and a bit of Black Sabbath too but it´s mostly Queens of the Stone Age that comes to mind. Actually there are times when I´m in doubt if it´s Queens of the Stone Age that I´m listening to. That´s how close some of the melodies on this album are to the melodies created by Queens of the Stone Age. Red Fang are a much heavier acquaintance though and while my above description of the music might say the opposite, Red Fang have their own style, so never think they are clones.

The songwriting is excellent. The songs on the album are catchy, memorable and just rock the house. It´s not that often I come across albums where I upon first listen know that it´s something special I´m listening to. Thankfully repeated listens reveal that the album is also a keeper and to some extent a grower because I´m getting more and more fond of the album the more I listen to it. One other great asset besides the songwriting, is the great musicianship on the album. The vocals are are both smooth and raw ( not in an extreme way raw) and suits the music very well. The instrumental playing is also impeccable and upon closer examination there are some really interesting guitar work going on. The songs aren´t just mindless vers/ chorus based either. While that might be the basis in the songs, I really appreciate how the band incorporate other sections into the songs, or how they change the songs during the playing time. The best example is probably "Thrown Up", which features both a heavy beginning and a faster paced middle section.

The production is very professional and well sounding. It´s got a warmth to it that suits the music well. The accessible nature of the album is also in large part due to the production.

Murder the Mountains imidiately ignited my interest, and after several listens I´m still very pleased with how this album sounds. I was a bit in doubt if the accessible nature of the music would make me lose interest after a couple of listens, but I guess the songwriting is so strong that it doesn´t happen. So if you enjoy stoner rock/ metal with both an alternative and a sludgy edge I can highly recommend Murder the Mountains. One of the really good surprises I´ve had so far this year. A 4 star rating is deserved.