EP Review: Earl of Hell - Get Smoked
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
If you like your riffs dirty, heavy and raucous, then look no further than this cracking debut EP from Scottish fuzz-rockers Earl of Hell. Released on Slightly Fuzzed Records, the four piece from Edinburgh, who were born from the ashes of the pandemic, have served up a sinister concoction of stimulating rock riffs that will get peoples fists shaking and heads banging.
As you listen to their six songs, you’ll easily see how they are influenced by the bands interest in vintage horror and classic hard rock, with the opening to 'Hang `em High' sounding like an American muscle car revving its 6 litre engine, before screeching off into town, in search of blood and gore. The rhythm in this song is bloody brilliant, and helps the song move along at a fast pace, with guitarist Lewis Inglis, doing an excellent job keeping the riffs heavy and in some places dramatic. It’s a cracking opening song for the EP, before its quickly followed up by 'Parasite'.
This sounds a bit different, not as heavy, but a quicker tempo with some really nice slow elements to the song. You can feel a slight Kyuss edge to this song, but towards the end the pace kicks up again before the trademark riff is delivered perfectly.
When I first heard the opening few bars of 'I Am The Chill' it reminded me a bit of a riff from Raging Speedhorn, as it's just sublime, and leads the song along beautifully. Eric Brock gets to showcase his vocal range on this one, proving to be very adaptable, to go with the eerie guitar riff halfway through. It's great that a young band are showing their versatility from the off, and these will be hard to pigeon hole into any genre. Or has a genre called “rifftastic” been invented yet?
A gentle, more sedate opening welcomes the listener to 'Bitter Fruits', before the atmospheric music kicks in, led by drummer Ryan Wilson. The gruff vocal on this one at first seems out of place, but then when you listen closely, it fits the dark, sinister overtones of the symphonic piece of music that has been created by the band.
'Blood Disco' was originally released in April last year as their first single, and quickly become a live favourite when shows were allowed again. It’s a fun song, with almost ghoulish/ghostly vocals in the choruses from Brock. It’s a great song, full of energy and vibrancy, but with evil intent lurking underneath, driven mostly by the excellent bass playing from Dean Gordon.
And all too quickly, it comes to an end, with final track 'Kill The Witch'. The macabre opening leads onto a full on rock n roll ballsy riff, that got my feet tapping away whilst air drumming, and this is definitely my favourite song off the EP. I love the horror theme that runs throughout the songs, it gives a genuine edgey vibe to the music, that will go down a storm with live audiences across the country.
Catch Earl of Hell wherever and whenever you get the chance, as they are coming to rip your face off!!!
