Valley of Shadows, a relative newcomer to the Omaha metal scene, has just released their EP, Volume I. This album was recorded live on stage at Shamrocks Pub and Grill on November 25th, 2015. No overdubs were done for this record; what came off the stage is coming out of your speakers.
Volume I kicks off with “Escape Clause.” A rocking, although somewhat stereotypical, stoner metal riff gets your head bobbing right away. When Adam Peterson’s vocals come in, it’s like a breath of fresh air. There aren’t many guys doing the big baritone, southern rock kind of thing around here. Clayton Pace adds a lot of movement to the song with his bass lines, especially on the first instrumental break. About two-thirds of the way through the song, it slows down to a plod, and we are treated to another spacey guitar solo from Steve Smith that takes us into the next track, “1000 Years From The Sun.”
“1000 Years From The Sun” opens quietly with a lilting bass figure, and the rest of the band joins in slowly, building up to a heavy chorus. I am reminded a little of Pearl Jam, in a good way. The song gets a little more forceful in the last minute or so and features another guitar solo ending.
The EP’s final track, “Storm The Castle,” takes us right back to stoner rock tempo. After a pair of verses and choruses, we get to a solo section, and the first solo is a fuzzed out bass! Even when the solo switches to guitar, Pace still gets in some licks. The song picks up tempo a little at the very end, and like the other two songs on the EP, “Storm The Castle” ends with a guitar solo.
I have not seen Valley of Shadows live yet, but that will have to change soon. I really enjoyed this recording. I think that it is a cool idea to do an EP like this. Granted, the audio isn’t quite studio-quality, but for fuzzy rock, it doesn’t really need to be. The performances and songs are solid.
This three-track record is available for streaming and download at the VoS bandcamp page here.
Yes, you can listen to live recordings at home, but that’s no excuse to not…..
…get out and pay some cover charges!
–Damascus Wootz
