Album Review: Steak – Acute Mania (Ripple Music)

London stoner rock veterans Steak are back with a brand-new album called ‘Acute Mania’, Due for release on April 1st, 2022 via Ripple Music.

Expansive desert blues, Steak deliver an album that is heavily focused on atmosphere. Brooding stoner rock that is filled with rocking riffs, melody and massive hooks. Upon hearing this, you’ll likely find yourself transported to an empty desert, the sun going down and a breeze beginning to pick up.

Tranquillity comes in many forms and Acute Mania is Steak’s version of it.

Wolves is a powerhouse start; the aforementioned desert bluesy sound is pervasive but the band brim with harder rock life throughout. Something that is all the more prevalent in the chunky rhythm of Dead Meat, before calmness is returned with Ancestors.

It takes a special kind of band to make something so transformative, something that is coarse and smooth at the same time. With the first few tracks, Steak have proven that they are a special band and that Acute Mania might be their most complete sounding release to date.

There’s plenty more to come though, starting with the wonderfully relaxed pairing of Last Days and Frequencies. A pairing that are heavy on the atmosphere but with one big difference. The former delivers a mix of subtle instrumentation and vibrating reverb. Whereas the latter transforms into a harder rock pick-me-up. It just happens to be done in Steak’s innate desert rock way.

System takes the tempo down a notch, getting a little grimier and slightly sludgy before Steak rip the rug out from underneath. Shifting to light melody and echoing vocals. Back and forth, this is a thrill ride of a track. Followed then by a Steak epic called Papas Special Custard. An epic because it’s over 8 minutes long and because Steak provides a rollercoaster of emotions across that runtime. From cooling calmness to excitable elation and everything in between. It’s a triumphant individual track.

Finally, it’s Mono and here we get one last hefty, bluesy stoner rock heavyweight to ensure Acute Mania goes out with a bang.

Steak have delivered here.

Steak – Acute Mania Full Track Listing:

1. Wolves
2. Dead Meat
3. Ancestors
4. Last Days
5. Frequencies
6. System
7. Papas Special Custard
8. Mono

Links

Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Ripple Music