Pelugion - Demon In The Sky

Pelugion, who have been active for around ten years, have impressed with their first couple of releases. The heavy rocking '1' preceded the darker, doomier '2' from just short of two years ago, which I lent my thoughts to in this review. Over the last decade, they've built their reputation steadily but surely, with convincing and reliable live performances. A tight unit of hard-hitting drums, dense sludge-grunge riffing and Chris Cornell-reminiscent vocals that make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, you don't just forget about Pelugion after you come across them. Most notably, they appeared on Bloodstock's New Blood Stage as Coventry Metal 2 The Masses winners in 2018. They're coming back for more on Sunday morning.


Pelugion interview outside Scruffy Murphy's in 2019. Yes, I'm interviewing them in the back of a car.

In what will promise to be a big week for the Coventry-based trio, they're also releasing the tantalising new single Demon In The Sky today to whet our appetites for their third studio release and I'm chuffed to bits to let you all know that this is an exclusive first review and first outside look into this exciting new chapter for the band.

I really feel that Demon In The Sky is a step up for the guys. Each of their last two releases had their own distinctive flavour and spice to them. Now, in building from their darker sophomore release they've taken things to grander levels - think Dio-era Sabbath or even Maiden in terms of the epic feeling that the music gives. This song is very much still a Pelugion number. The trademark Alice in Chains-isms in the music and the mid-70s Sabbath swing in the rhythms are there. Yet they go above and beyond for Demon In The Sky,  and if this is anything to predict for their next EP, will see a fantastic sense of natural progression for Pelugion.


The lyrics are a good example of storytelling within music. Detailing the story of a man losing his faith in religion, and realising that his prayers are going unheard/unlistened/ignored (you decide), ultimately nothing changes for our protagonist. The imagery that this conjures instantly makes me think once again of the likes of Ronnie James Dio. Nicely complemented by the subtle vocal harmonies and vocal ooh's as the song progresses, Dan Willett's mixing job is on point, making each layer serve its purpose. This helps portray that sense of powerful, profound storytelling with great effect. Finally, Andy Sweeney delivers one of his best-ever vocal performances in the song's coda, elevating those last moments to a new level both literally and figuratively. Have I already used the word 'epic'?

Pelugion have really raised the bar for this new single and I imagine we'll have to seriously hold onto our socks when the full release comes out.

They're bigger. They're better. And they're on at 11am on the Sophie Lancaster stage in a couple of days.

Badass.
9/10

Pelugion FB | IG

MN

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Uprising 2023 - a victory for post-Covid live music

Image
Uprising 2023 was my first time in attendance at the festival, lured there by the likes of Boss Keloid and Paradise Lost. I can safely say I'll be there in 2024. I'd be more than happy to go as a punter, doing media again, or (ideally!) performing. From what I could see, the entire festival experience was efficient, warm and friendly. I love the sense of community at these festival environments and bumped into plenty that I'd not seen since last summer. There were plenty of bands I wanted to see again, a few I wanted to see for the first time and also a good few surprises in the pack. Let's dive right in... It's my first time seeing Feral State , the openers on the third stage. Their vocalist Joe is also a member of Bile Caster , who I've seen a few times and played the pre-party the night before. Feral State are on the opposite end of the musical spectrum - though they have some groovy moments, most of the set is relentlessly frantic and breakneck-paced. It
Read more

REVIEW: Man in the Arena - a rebirth for The Sound of Origin

Image
The Sound of Origin are back with their second full-length in three years, Man in the Arena . After the release of the excellent The All Seeing Eye during lockdown, the band appeared at Bloodstock Festival for the first time in 2021 and recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's Sick Things for Pale Wizard Records. A rebrand followed, introducing a new drummer in Jack Walker, also of Gandalf the Green . On Man in the Arena , he brings a distinctly different flavour compared to the previous drummer, assuredly stamping his mark onto the band. Other than that, the deliciously fuzz-soaked riffs are still present and the other addition to personnel is Kyle Thomas, famously of Trouble , Alabama Thunderpussy and Exhorder , who lends his distinctive vocal prowess to two songs on the record. What does it sound like, then? Sound of Origin - Lockjaw/Morning Bird (live at Bloodstock 2021) The two Kyle Thomas-guested songs are a neat encapsulation of the two sides to Man in the Arena . Frail Old
Read more

ARTICLE: Why I love Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Image
On this day 50 years ago, Black Sabbath released Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on Vertigo I didn't grow up in a household of heavy music, so my first memory of hearing metal is being in my friend's kitchen at around seven years old, at the time when The Osbournes was on the telly. I didn't know what Black Sabbath or metal was back then, but I picked up on a couple of earworms that turned out to be Sabbath songs later down the line. Fast forward to the age of 13 and I was chatting to an older mate of mine about music. When I told him that I was listening to a lot of Green Day and Kings of Leon, he turned his nose up and told me I should try a bit of Black Sabbath and get into metal. I went to a youth club in my village back then and a few months after that conversation I noticed a CD lying by the player at the end of a night with 'Black Sabbath Greatest Hits' written on the front. I stole it, put it on my mp3 player (showing my generation here) and brought it back the n
Read more