I’ve never been to the desert, and I don’t believe I’ve ever been close to one, though I strangely am attracted to its folklore and the music it inspires. It gives me the same sense I get later in the summer near dusk when the horizons vibrate with oranges and purples, and the dustier the music, the better.
Arizona-based black metal crew Sunscorched have heat and cactus needles comprising their DNA, and their first record “Blood of the Badlands” delivers over and over again, feeling like they’re melting your inhibitions. The band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist Austin Kruger, guitarist Mitch Wilson, drummer Rory James—takes you on a whipping adventure, revisiting the folklore and traditions of their home, uncovering themes of survival and violence, blood shed as unconquerable nature looms large. It’s a very exciting record, one that plays in the same realm as, say, Wayfarer, but stands on its own fiery terrain.
“Strangers Land” opens with dogs calling, acoustics washing, campfires crackling, a dusty excursion unfurling and loading into “Whiskey and Oak” that churns before erupting. Guitars encircle as the band scorches, melodies flow deeply, and leads spiral and drive into clouds. The playing hammers anew, the tempo surrounding you, torching everything in the band’s path as embers burn into the ground. “Slaughter at Camp Grant” documents the 1871 massacre of 140 Apache people, and it bleeds in before coming apart, howls crushing, drums punishing, thrashing into fiery tumult. Speedy riffs lead the charge, rushing with raucous melodies, howls creaking as everything blisters to an end. “Vultures That Circle My Grave” delivers gushing leads, growls that scrape flesh, and trudging smearing that adds a smoky flavor. The pace hits an immersive slow burn before battering and sweltering. The soloing takes off for the clouds as the power energizes, birds caw in the distance, and dirty guitars land more blows before everything dissolves.
“The Gallows Tree” smashes, slide guitars bring a haunting vibe with them, and the menace gallops in behind the band. Anguished cries twist at your heart, and sunburnt grimness starts to set in, slow-crushing pressure caving your chest, guitars moaning. The storm begins to capitalize on its position, the playing thrashing and beating, the guitars smoldering and sending thick smoke plumes. “Thousand Year Drought” opens with the leads staggering, the playing wrenching deeply, and the howls causing abrasions on your face. The guitars spiral as the soloing blisters, the melodies swell and flutter, and mad barks open wounds before ending in echo. The closing title track is an instrumental piece that dawns with acoustics and violins, moodiness spreads, and a jazzy vibe is achieved as guitars swell. Melodies weep as a spirited push amplifies the emotion, then more gentle playing rises, guitars wax nostalgic, and the darkness falls.
“Blood of the Badlands” is an intense and earth-baked introduction to Sunscorched’s Western-style black metal. Nods to their Arizonian landscape and its history play a large part in what’s going on here, and you can’t help but feel a little reddened and parched when the journey ends. This is a promising start for a band that has the heart and will and displays it ad nauseum on this punishing debut.
For more on the band, go here: https://sunscorched.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.bolverkcollective.com/sunscorched
For more on the label, go here: https://www.bolverkcollective.com/bolverk-records
Meat Mead Metal 