Skarlett Riot
We featured Skarlett Riot a while back, so when we were sent through a copy of their new EP, Villain, I jumped at the chance to find out what they’d been up to since I last checked them out! Describing their sound as akin to Courtney Love fused with the muscular garage rock’n’roll guile of early Guns N Roses, their sound is captivating and anthemic, something which I particularly liked about them the first time we featured them! 2012 is looking pretty damned bright for the guys so this seemed a good chance to find out what all the fuss is about!
Opening with Party Hard it’s immediately clear how far these guys have travelled since we last featured them, their sound is not only more refined than before but somehow more energetic and hard hitting. The vocals are almost smooth over the distorted backing music, forming a mix which pulls you in and just makes you sit back and listen, this is a sound to fall in love with. Punchy guitar riffs set the pace of the track fully, the drums pounding out the pace and setting the track as one which is sure to slay live crowds, this is a band you not only need to hear, but one you need to see as well. I particularly liked the break down midway through which allows the guitar solo to be fully heard, the easing off of the bass heavy rhythms allows a moment of reflection, a chance to let everything fully wash over you so you can take it in. Closing with one hell of a funky and hard hitting section of rolling drums and pounding guitar lines, this is one hell of a track to open an EP, and it’s going to be a hell of a task to follow it!
Read My Lips follows on, opening over a sludgy bass laden melee of guitars, bass and drums, the vocals once again soaring over everything to elevate the track and make it something which moves away from a simplistic ‘rock’ track. Slower than the opening track, there’s a real funky edge to this track, one which makes you want to move along with it regardless of where you are. I particularly like the chorus section of this track as well, the way the vocals set the pace, almost putting Skarlett in charge of proceedings and allowing the rest of the band to work around her voice, again it works seriously well! As the track fades and You’re The Enemy comes into being, the theme of the album seems to fade out a little and a darker edge comes into being, the mix building up from something dark and ominous into a bass heavy melee once again. The vocals are key to this track once again and further develop the sound into a more classic rock approach, the whole lot coming together to form a track which you can easily see being performed on festival stages across the UK (and beyond!). As a track, I’d place this as my personal favourite from the EP, there’s just something about it which elevates this track beyond the others, it’s hard to place but my word it works.
Title track Villain closes the EP in much the same way as it began, opening melodic and enticing you into the track, urging you to listen to what is to come. Pounding drums, heavy bass and those awesome vocals once again abound throughout the track, leaving you with a serious taste for what these guys have got going on and no doubt that 2012 could well be one hell of a year from this group, I just can’t wait for more people to hear this EP!
Skarlett Riot have crafted an EP of just 4 tracks, but each track stands alone as a masterpiece of modern rock music. There’s no conventions being followed here, no overly obvious influences through their music, just a hearty dose of solid rock music designed to get you moving. The vocals are quite simply stunning, the instruments well performed and as a whole, the record is one which I know I’ll revisit time and time again. This is a band to look out for, a band who are surely going to take 2012 and make it their own, and I seriously hope you’re all watching!
To find out more about Skarlett Riot, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Party Hard it’s immediately clear how far these guys have travelled since we last featured them, their sound is not only more refined than before but somehow more energetic and hard hitting. The vocals are almost smooth over the distorted backing music, forming a mix which pulls you in and just makes you sit back and listen, this is a sound to fall in love with. Punchy guitar riffs set the pace of the track fully, the drums pounding out the pace and setting the track as one which is sure to slay live crowds, this is a band you not only need to hear, but one you need to see as well. I particularly liked the break down midway through which allows the guitar solo to be fully heard, the easing off of the bass heavy rhythms allows a moment of reflection, a chance to let everything fully wash over you so you can take it in. Closing with one hell of a funky and hard hitting section of rolling drums and pounding guitar lines, this is one hell of a track to open an EP, and it’s going to be a hell of a task to follow it!
Read My Lips follows on, opening over a sludgy bass laden melee of guitars, bass and drums, the vocals once again soaring over everything to elevate the track and make it something which moves away from a simplistic ‘rock’ track. Slower than the opening track, there’s a real funky edge to this track, one which makes you want to move along with it regardless of where you are. I particularly like the chorus section of this track as well, the way the vocals set the pace, almost putting Skarlett in charge of proceedings and allowing the rest of the band to work around her voice, again it works seriously well! As the track fades and You’re The Enemy comes into being, the theme of the album seems to fade out a little and a darker edge comes into being, the mix building up from something dark and ominous into a bass heavy melee once again. The vocals are key to this track once again and further develop the sound into a more classic rock approach, the whole lot coming together to form a track which you can easily see being performed on festival stages across the UK (and beyond!). As a track, I’d place this as my personal favourite from the EP, there’s just something about it which elevates this track beyond the others, it’s hard to place but my word it works.
Title track Villain closes the EP in much the same way as it began, opening melodic and enticing you into the track, urging you to listen to what is to come. Pounding drums, heavy bass and those awesome vocals once again abound throughout the track, leaving you with a serious taste for what these guys have got going on and no doubt that 2012 could well be one hell of a year from this group, I just can’t wait for more people to hear this EP!
Skarlett Riot have crafted an EP of just 4 tracks, but each track stands alone as a masterpiece of modern rock music. There’s no conventions being followed here, no overly obvious influences through their music, just a hearty dose of solid rock music designed to get you moving. The vocals are quite simply stunning, the instruments well performed and as a whole, the record is one which I know I’ll revisit time and time again. This is a band to look out for, a band who are surely going to take 2012 and make it their own, and I seriously hope you’re all watching!
To find out more about Skarlett Riot, check out their Facebook page HERE.
