Sunday, July 12, 2015


VALKYRIE: Shadows


 Valkyrie has turned the corner and gone from very good band to great band.  Valkyrie plays music stationed right on the border between heavy metal and hard rock, with my best description being a merging of Horisont and Pagan Altar, likely appealing to fans of Pentagram, Witchcraft, Black Pyramid and Thin Lizzy as well.  Peter Adams, the lead guitar player and singer, is better known for his work with the prog-metal band Baroness, but Pete has been in Valkyrie longer.  Pete’s brother  Jake also sings and plays guitar in Valkyrie.  Valkyrie sits high on a list of great Stoner Rock bands from the Atlanta area, including Scott Weinrich and Spirit Caravan, Mastodon, Kylesa, Red Fang, Earthride, Nitroseed, and of course Baroness.  Anyhow, being a big Meteor City Records fan, I purchased Valkyrie’s last album “Man of Two Visions.”  I liked it, but never developed a love for it.  “Shadows”, on the other hand (on Relapse Records), I can’t stop listening to.  I like it more each time I hear it, and it’s been in my playlist rotation for close to a month now.  I can’t pick a bad tune to post here, but let’s go with "Wintry Plains", the fifth track on Shadows:  Check out how Pete and Jake weave a story with guitar, and check out the tastefulness of every guitar solo in the song.




Now here’s “Carry On”, the album’s closer:



Best albums of 2015 so far:  

Lore by Elder
Gravitron by the Atomic Bitchwax
Black Age Blues by Goatsnake
Cold Was the Ground by the Midnight Ghost Train
Shadows by Valkyrie



Valkyrie Is:

  • Jake Adams -  guitar, vocals
  • Pete Adams - guitar, vocals
  • Alan Fary -bass
  • Warren Hawkins -drums

Until Next weekend ...-ULTRA

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