Album Review: Sidewinder - Talons
Reviewed by Drew McCarthy
Wellington, New Zealand natives Sidewinder are back and bringing the heaviness with their sophomore album which they have entitled 'Talons'. Excuse the attempt at a joke, but after listening to it, this is an album that is guaranteed to sink its claws in.
'Talons' follows up from the 2022 debut album, 'Vines', and in the four short years since that album appeared Sidewinder have managed to build a strong and stable following. Owing to a heavy and near endless touring schedule, including but not limited to supporting international bands, 'Talons' will only serve to strengthen their status as a band that are seemingly on the way up, one that you would be a fool to not pay attention to.
'Disarm The King', the first single taken from 'Talons', is a perfect taste of what the rest of the album entails. It delivers, in a little under three minutes in run time, a gut punch of New Orleans inspired sludgy, bluesy riffs and heavy yet rhythmic instrumentation, with vocals that would make the very ground shake.
'Guardians' which is the opener and the latest single to be taken from the album is an altogether different beast. It teases the listener with an altogether softer intro before descending into what sounds like a mix of grunge and, surprisingly at times, groove metal with an added vibe of the 70s thrown in for good measure; think of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix to get the idea.
'Northern Lights' is, for lack of a better word, the most atmospheric sounding song to be found on 'Talons'. A sombre and almost mournful guitar intro starts it off, before surgically precise bass amd drums join the fray. As the song progresses, doom-esque chugging guitars are joined by soaring vocals, bringing the song to a satisfying and awe inspiring conclusion.
With 'Talons' I found a natural maturity and progressive shift in the band’s songwriting, production and focus. 'Talons' is an album that shows a naturally progressive maturity in relation to how Sidewinder have developed their sound and being the first album to feature the huge vocal presence of Jem Tupe. 'Talons' is an album that with any luck will catapult the career of Sidewinder into the stratosphere.
