Released by: Duel
Release Date: April 28, 2017
Genre: Stoner Rock/ Hard Rock
Links:
Bandcamp: https://duel3.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DUELTEXAS/
Lineup:
Guitar/Vocals: Tom Frank
Bass/Vocals: Shaun Avants
Drums: JD Shadowz
Guitar: Jeff Henson
Tracklist:
1. Devil
2. Witchbanger
3. The Snake Queen
4. Astro Gypsy
5. Heart Of The Sun
6. Bed Of Nails
7. Cat’s Eye
8. Tigers And Rainbows
Duel, the band from Austin, Texas, put out their first full-length record ‘Fear Of The Dead’ in 2016, and they tore shit up with that album. Now just one year later, they have released their second full-length album ‘Witchbanger’, and we can honestly say there is no sophomore slump for these guys. This record is filled with straight up, high octane, kick ass rock-n-roll. Guitarist Tom Frank and bassist Shaun Avants ( Both formerly of Scorpion Child), guitarist Jeff Henson and drummer JD Shadowz, had a tough task to follow up their ‘Fear Of The Dead’ album, since it was so good, and we couldn’t wait to give this one a listen to see if it held up to the first.
This album starts off with ‘Devil’, a fast paced rocker with some great riffage, before the title song ‘Witchbanger’ kicks in, proving Duel has the right tools to show fans how to rock their ass off. Cruising through songs like ‘The Snake Queen’ and ‘Astro Gypsy’ is easy when you play stoner rock with such a great sound. ‘Heart Of The Sun’ is a great guitar driven, riff filled tune that we can’t get enough of. A little spacy trip starts off ‘Bed Of Nails’ before that guitar riff kicks in on a melodic rocker you won’t get out of your head anytime soon. Bring on ‘Cat’s Eye’ which is a fuzzy classic instantly, the psychedelic era of the 60’s would have been proud to have these guys during that period. A great guitar solo hits at the end of this song. ‘Tigers And Rainbows’ is a catchy rocker, with a great riff.
There is some fantastic guitars on this album. The vocal is spot on and awesome throughout the record, and there is nothing you could say you didn’t like on here.
This record has eight songs that are all killer and no filler. Just what you would hope for in the second album from a great band. We can’t say that any one song stands out on this album. You always seem to pick a favorite, but here each song, one after another is great. Any song on here could be a favorite.
At this point, there are no US tour dates announced. Duel will be hitting Europe in May, but hopefully, after that, they hit the states hard, and include Buffalo in those plans. We would love to see these guys live. But if you live in Europe, be sure to catch the shows, there are some great songs to be heard on tour! In the meantime if you live in the states, be sure to grab a copy of the new album ‘Witchbanger’, this one is highly recommended!
Written by: Pam and Mark Schaff
Ratings: 9/10
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