What a month!
Wicked Snakes aren't a band to waste time. With the ink still not quite dry on their recent signing to Wolf At your Door records, the Staffordshire quartet have already crafted and recorded their debut EP and set out on the road to unleash it on masses. Claiming that they want you to be able to "Zone.Out.Mosh" to their music, it is little surprise that their first six track offering, Lead Me To The Sun incites you to do just that.
As the resoundingly melodic riffs of opener, The Ceremony ooze their way into your ear drums, it is hard to imagine just where the mashing part of Wicked snakes motto is going to emerge from but as Luke Davis' primal and savage vocals break through, everything starts to fall into place. Combining all consuming riffs that carry off almost a 90s grunge vibe that weave effortlessly amongst Davis' vocals, Wicked Snakes offer up something a little different from other bands vying for contention within their genre. Death Notes finds the bands' pummeling drums taking the lead, bulldozing their way magnificently to the forefront and inciting all to bang their heads along as heavy guitars interplay with aggressively raw vocals. But Wicked Snakes are far from a bunch of guys trying to flay you with riffs and scream you into submission. There is a melody that weaves throughout each track and a lyrical intelligence that sets the band apart and with the title track, the Staffordshire lads prove that they are not afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Taking things back to the bare bones, Lead Me To The Sun doesn't just tug at your heart strings it wraps itself around them and yanks every shred of emotion out of you, demonstrating again how far from being a one dimensional band Wicked Snakes are and if they can achieve so much in such a short space of time, surely we have still so much to see from them.
From here on Wicked Snakes are on a roll; Cause/Effect rushing us back into an adrenaline fuelled frenzy of growls, rampaging riffs and body shaking beats that wonderfully charges through your ears that pack a mightier punch thanks to the juggernaut of Cold Hearts continuing the onslaught before Choirs ushers in 7 minutes of what you've, by this time, come to expect from the four piece, music to zone out and mosh to effortlessly presented for your enjoyment. If this is what they've managed in little over a month, just think what 2014 holds for them, roll on the next 12 months!