MARS RED SKY ~ DAWN OF THE DUSK ... review

No one sounds quite like Mars Red Sky, the French trio's unique blend of sci-fi influenced heavy psych, stoner rock and post metal comes sprinkled with a magical element that is hard to describe but is nonetheless still there. The band, Julien Pras (guitar, vocals), Jimmy Kinast (bass, vocals), and Mathieu Gazeau (drums) were formed in Bordeaux in 2007 and first came to Desert Psychlist's attention via their self-titled debut "Mars Red Sky" and have since retained our interest via a series of one off tracks, splits, EP's and collaborations. What we really wanted however was another full release from these guys and what we wanted they have delivered with "Dawn of the Dusk" (Vicious Circle Records/Mrs Red Sound)

In the blurb accompanying "Dawn of the Dusk" on their Bandcamp page Mars Red Sky refer to their music as having a "unique and peculiar flavour" its a sentence that sums up their sound perfectly. Mars Red Sky's peculiarity and uniqueness comes from them being a band who though existing in a scene known for its blustering heaviness play music that is not actually that blustering or overly heavy yet still manages to draws praise from those for whom those dynamics are the golden ticket. There is a feyness and ethereality to the songs Mars Red Sky deliver on "Dawn of the Dusk" that, when set against those moments where the band DO get a little aggressive and gnarly, just seems so right. This especially true of the songs like "Break Even" "Maps of Inferno" (featuring Queen of the Meadow aka Helen Ferguson), "Choir of Ghosts" and "Slow Attack", songs that utilize heaviness and mellowness in a sort of symbiotic way, one element not being able to exist without the other, This symbiosis gives Mars Red Sky's new album an ascending/descending dynamic that evokes a feeling of constant motion throughout, it's breath-taking stuff! 

With "Dawn of the Dusk" Mars Red Sky have delivered their best release to date, a stunning blend of lilting ethereality and psychedelic tinted heaviness guaranteed to chill and thrill in equal measure. 

Check it out ...

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