Thin Veil

 
"Old-School” can barely attempt to scratch the surface when describing the thunderous accumulation of blues, space rock and psychobilly caught in a torrential, funneling maelstrom known as Thin Veil, Royal Station’s first full-length album.
Hailing from Madison, WI, Royal Station demonstrates a keen ear for eerie soundscapes and lush, powerfully-packed rhythms. While many influences are prevalent throughout the colorful amalgamation, the quality of crushing, wall-of-sound chugging bass from 70’s era bands like Hawkwind and early noise-punk outfits like Black Flag permeate the oncoming tidal waves of hypnotic, thought-provoking directions in songwriting with a smooth, energetic foundation. Though the vintage-style rock ‘n roll sound is never completely abandoned, a sonic palette of sweeping flourishes and psychedelic styles are executed tastefully and with appropriately-respectable reservation.
While some songs, such as the opener “Suffer or Fly” take a bare-bones blues approach that pay homage to such virtuosos as Johnny Cash, the rapid speed and imminent-doom feel of the majority of the album packs a groovy, psychedelic punch without shedding their retro-sounding roots. Sparing additions of the synthesizer propel an experimental twist into a diehard blues fans’ usual approach, while the interweaving vocal textures of SJ Merizar and Trisan Vincent combine authentic energy towards a foreboding, hallucinatory atmosphere of highest-quality industrial proportions, immediately recognizable in the second track, “Decadent Blues.”
Thin Veil reveals a carefully-polished attention to detail in its infusion of clever arrangements and stylistic nods to many heavy icons of underground music. In addition to the meandering stripped-down blues chords, fans of metal, psychobilly, and space rock alike will find their musical palettes fully satiated throughout the course of their lyrically-absorbing masterpiece. Rhythmically tightly-executed while fully-encapsulating the maddening dimensions of a spooky amusement ride, Royal Station entices a new generation of musicians to explore their shadows, while simultaneously offering a one-way ticket to the interstellar reaches of frontiers unknown.
Support the band by purchasing their album on Bandcamp, or catch their immaculately crushing live performance, notably on January 5th at the re-opening of the Locker Room on 1810 Roth Street, Madison WI, or by sharing their links! 


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