Album Review: Purple Dawn – Peace & Doom Session Vol. II (Electric Valley Records)

Purple Dawn presents their second record, Peace & Doom Session Vol. II, which arrives on the 11th of March 2022 digitally and on multiple variations of vinyl via Electric Valley Records.

Picking up where they left off with 2020’s Peace & Doom Session, Purple Dawn present another immense album of heavy, progressive psych-doom noise. An album filled to the brim with fuzzy riffs, dirty bass hooks, thumping drumbeats and growling, gruff-infused vocals. Music that has a choking haziness to it but also has plenty of body-shaking groove as well.

A touch of Sabbath, a dash of Corrosion of Conformity, a sniff of Pentagram and so much more. Purple Dawn combine the sound of psychedelic groove and doomy heaviness to come up with their own fascinating take.

A charming blend of smoothness and roughness, the juxtaposition of those two styles is far less abrasive than you might expect. After all, this is music that compels you to head-bang as much as it compels you to move the rest of your body in time to the groove.

The heavy blast of instrumentation that hits with Bonganchamun is stunning but as that transitions into the rich sound of 100 Years a Day, things get even better. Purple Dawn keep things tight and concise for a bit as they blaze through Old Fashioned Black Madness and Power to the People. Mostly coming at you with a high tempo, flashes of slower moments keep things electrifying.

The first proper epic track comes with The Moon Song as it reaches nearly 10-minutes in length and sees Purple Dawn build melody to a startlingly infectious rhythm. A track that grows and grows in stature as it goes on before shifting position around the mid-point for a peaceful and mellow finisher.

Purple Dawn then follow that with another lengthy effort in the form of Death to A Dying World. Here, a more abrasive blast of doomy heaviness meets bursts of energetic riffing and Purple Dawn’s progressive tonal shifts.

Bonganchamun Part II then wraps the album up with one last burst of fast-paced noise, the groove is intense, but the eye-watering heaviness is what sticks.

Purple Dawn – Peace & Doom Session Vol. II Full Track Listing:

1. Bonganchamun
2. 100 Years a Day
3. Old Fashioned Black Madness
4. Power to the People
5. The Moon Song
6. Death to A Dying World
7. Bonganchamun Part II

Links

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