![News Added Feb 16, 2014 ALBUM REVIEW: Rainbows Are Free - Waves Ahead of the Ocean - by Victor Velasquez, for Lyynks Music Don’t let the name fool you – Oklahoma’s Rainbows Are Free are anything but light and fluffy. The heavy metal and blues-influenced psychedelic sound of their sophomore full-length record, Waves Ahead of […]](https://hasitleaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/402381.jpg "Rainbows Are Free : Waves Ahead Of The Ocean")
ALBUM REVIEW: Rainbows Are Free - Waves Ahead of the Ocean - by Victor Velasquez, for Lyynks Music
Don’t let the name fool you – Oklahoma’s Rainbows Are Free are anything but light and fluffy. The heavy metal and blues-influenced psychedelic sound of their sophomore full-length record, Waves Ahead of the Ocean (due Jan. 14 via Guestroom Records), beckons the rabid hell-beast inside the listener to come out and play. On this doom-metal masterpiece made for fans of Black Sabbath, classic metal and fuzzy guitar riffs, frontman Brandon Kistler’s screeching and howling acts as a guide through the grungy and back-breaking power that makes up the 8-track album’s sonic landscape.
The opening song, “Speed God and the Rise of the Motherfuckers From a Place Beyond Hell,” hints at what to expect with the opening lines, “We rose with the moonraker / We came to eat your souls”. Heavy guitar riffs and powerful breakdowns – cut with some good old-fashioned southern rock and blues flair - make up the meat and potatoes of the roughly 40-minute record’s sound.
For that song and others like “Sonic Demon” and “Waves Ahead of the Ocean”, lead guitarist Richie Tarver grabs hold of your ears and drags them deep into the auditory depths while rhythm guitarist Lucas Watson assists by offering his chugging enthusiasm. Drummer Bobby Onspaugh and bassist Chad Hogue meanwhile lay down a solid groove that helps to conjure a fantasy world of demons and ghouls ready to devour the senses – and possibly start a mosh pit in your living room/car/office cubicle. Key cuts like “Comet” and “Cadillac” aim to break you, swallow you whole, then spit you back out a more enlivened being.
Even after six listens, Waves Ahead of the Ocean never once felt stale or boring, and by the time I finished with it, a small collection of acid faeries had assembled at my feet to engage in righteous head-banging and drink all of my beer. Results may vary.
