Matt Long & The Revenant Ones - The Other Side
Album review by; DeeDee
I was impressed watching Matt Long and The Revenant Ones, at the Ampliyuletide festival recently. Like so many I was expecting a set of Blues enthused numbers and was genuinely surprised when they fired up. With this project, Matt has distanced himself from the comforts of ‘Catfish’ his award winning Blues band and indulged in his passion for more ‘heavy rock’ orientated music. After delays due to the lockdown restrictions the debut album for Matt Long and The Revenant Ones finally released in July 2021.
​
Aptly titled ‘The Other Side’ it’s a gathering of nine songs where Matt’s guitar and vocals are accompanied by another Catfish member, Adam Pyke on Bass. Completing the line up is Drummer Kev Hickman (Ex- RavenEye).
The first track ‘So’ has a long introduction of grinding guitar and steady drum knocking. It develops with a ‘Bonamassa’ type of rhythm and the vocals from Matt vary in depth, from out and out hollering, to smooth and lush resonance. A song with so much variation, it takes you on several journeys, from the delicate to the penetrating and then on to the immense magnitude of the riffs. ‘Have my Say’ is a whirlwind of a track and ricochets with unstoppable and spellbinding guitar. We get into a slower riff on ’Stone Bones’ with more of a continuous flow and again lashings of clear and intense vocals. A ballad to intersect the pace ‘Dark & Lonely Room’ is a beautifully crafted affair. Uncomplicated and sublime with heavenly and rapturous appeal, it’s a stunner. You can tell from the opening bars that ‘Feel Like A Saint’ is going to be a dark and wonderfully disturbing track. Oh, yes this is a tremendous rumble, the guitar has been given a free license, to explore the deepest and least known areas on the fretboard. Wow, amazing.
’Take It All’ lightens the pressure, having a more classic rock bearing. Soaring strings from Mr Long, spiral upwards and complement the funkier bass lines from Adam perfectly. Harmonies add a rich layer of creaminess and it’s such a contrast from most of the previous songs. There’s a building sense of melancholy as ’With My own Eyes’ takes to the fore. Echoes of Metallica and Slipknot can best describe this beast. It’s so controlled and unrelenting and I adore the way it manages to lure you with unrestrained boldness to capture your senses. ‘Wild Animal’ pumps like a Guns ’N’ Roses tune. Wild indeed, it’s another with no boundaries and soaks up any leftovers, with a mass of guitar wizardry and uplifting lyrics. There are chimes and softer notes as we come to the final track ‘Across The Borderline’. Matt is quite a genius, not only is he an exceptional guitar virtuoso, but his voice is so enrapturing. This last song has been constructed to the highest degree and you hear everything that a rock song should consist of.
I have played this album so much now, it has to go down as one of my favourites of the year. It touches every musical nerve in your body and stimulates your enthusiasm to want even more, from Matt Long And The Revenant Ones. There are already a few tour dates on the horizon so visit the band’s social pages for more information and news.
5/5
Here is the link to purchase the album - https://www.mattlong.net/shop
https://www.facebook.com/MattLongAndTheRevenantOnes
#rockmediauk #mattlongandtherevenantones #theotherside #albumreview #debutalbum #catfish #adampyke #kevhickman #raveneye #ampliyuletide #bluesrock