King Howl
Homecoming (red)
'Homecoming' represents a new chapter in the band's stylistic universe, spurring King Howl's trademark sound while mixing it with new compositional and sound influences. A mix of blues, stoner, psychedelia, and classic rock that paints the soundscape of an on-the-road story set in 1960s America, a narrative plot that permeates the entire work, accompanied by a constant sonic evolution, always on the road. Thus, King Howl returns to the theme of travel, the band's favorite concept from the beginning. In this story, a young protagonist escapes from a rural setting witnessed by the blues sounds of opener 'The Rooster' and rock'n'roll anthem 'From The Cradle,' followed by the beginning of the journey on the Kyussian railroad of 'The Train.' This leads to the nineties echoed spoken-word of 'John Henry Days' to the classic rock sounds of 'Motorsound,' a true ode to the big truck engine's vibrations. Consequently, the sonic journey flows into the oblivion of 'Slowly Coming Down.' Here, doom and psychedelia carry a dark foreboding. 'Tempted,' on the other hand, is a successful mix of country blues and stoner rock, an influence more and more present in the desertic 'Jupiter,' a track inspired by one of the characters in writer James Anderson's novel 'The Never-Open Desert Diner.' At the album's heart, the theme of travel and change symbolizes the animal world with the powerful 'The Great Blue Heron.' This song is marked by the sound of the Hammond organ, which makes the piece even more granitic. 'Homecoming' then pays homage to the great Rolling Stones with the sixties classic 'Gimme Shelter.' Then it concludes this incredible journey with 'Home,' an angry but hopeful homecoming. An epic in music, a round trip of growth and change, of damnation, redemption, and rebirth. The album was recorded in Sardinia by Roberto Macis and Willy Cuccu and mixed by Nene Baratto and Richard Behrens at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin, a key production hub for international heavy psych (Kadavar, Samsara Blues Experiment, Elder, Wucan). A sound production focused on an "organic" analog sound, thanks to the use of vintage gear and a reel-to-reel master made by Nene Baratto at the Berlin-based Morphine Raum Studio. Red marbled vinyl version.