{"id":12583,"date":"2014-12-22T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-22T17:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-wicked-snakes-sleep-dance\/"},"modified":"2018-03-17T15:06:17","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T15:06:17","slug":"album-review-wicked-snakes-sleep-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-wicked-snakes-sleep-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Wicked Snakes &#8211; Sleep Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/afcf114c823c9c8104ebb1e3b8ee9f67\/tumblr_inline_ngzem5obf21qztcot.jpg\" width=\"250px\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">Musically conveying the mind\u2019s processes throughout the day is, in itself, something difficult to get your head around. <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> attempt just that with <em>&lsquo;Sleep Dance&rsquo;<\/em>, a psychedelic journey through a range of psychological states grounded in heavy rock-infused riffs. As bizarrely intriguing as it might sound, the Staffordshire quartet\u2019s debut is sadly nothing ground-breaking, but refreshing nonetheless.<\/p>\n<p>Having emerged little over a year ago, <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> have made some respectable progress in their field, signing to <strong>A Wolf At Your Door Records<\/strong>, birthplace of Mallory Knox and Lower Than Atlantis. However, comparison with the label\u2019s alumni is near impossible, as <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> stray from the path with their entrancing take on surreal rock. Guitarist David McQueen is the star of the show, consistently delivering contagious riffs and expert fretwork over a background of somewhat mismatched vocals and atmospheric fillers. <!-- more --><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2019First Light\u2019<\/em>&rsquo;s trance-enducing opener presents a tricksy, catchy riff combined with Luke Davis\u2019 raw, emotional vocals, capturing the ambition and anticipation of the first seconds of the day. However, true to everyone\u2019s experience of most days, these expectations slump eventually, leading to one willing to see the end.<\/p>\n<p>However, the record has its captivating moments, as the wonderfully catchy album-stealer <em>\u2019Wonder and Delirium\u2019<\/em> showcases jig-worthy expert guitar work right up to the last second. At times heavy and foreboding, <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> combine hard-hitting anthemic melodies with contagious drums with <em>\u2019Escapism\u2019<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>The title track holds a classic leading riff that wouldn\u2019t sound out of place on a Metallica record, while Davis\u2019 unadulterated vocals combined with the flawless acoustic <em>\u2018Dusk\u2019<\/em> demonstrate the band\u2019s passionate approach to their genre-bending music. Their potential is clear to see, but nobody\u2019s debut is flawless. While the occasional cheerfully 80s build-up is promptly shattered by heavy, sassy riffs, <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> stay true to the lines of <em>\u2019Desert Haze\u2019<\/em> \u2013 <em>\u201cthey come out at night, there\u2019s no need for light\u201d<\/em> &#8211; although at times intentionally entrancing, the album\u2019s melodic concept can take psychedelia to a dangerously sleepy degree. <\/p>\n<p> <em>\u2018Cold Moon Rise\u2019<\/em> presents a reflective, swaying lament accompanied by an unexpected heavy bass line, encapsulating the mind\u2019s processing of complex emotions \u2013 it\u2019s all in a day\u2019s work for them. With an interlude that becomes a welcome platform for McQueen\u2019s talents on the electric, their debut closes on the brooding <em>\u2019Dream in Paralysis\u2019<\/em>, describing the end of the brain\u2019s hard work throughout the day, a characterisation of the energised suffering of a driving force in need of a break.<\/p>\n<p>If you&rsquo;re missing the swaying melodies of The Killers&rsquo; earlier work, this will be right up your alley. While <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> have a long way to go, for a debut, <em>&#8216;Sleep Dance&rsquo;<\/em> hits a few good notes to prove their potential in future.<\/p>\n<p>2.5\/5<\/p>\n<p><em>Sleep Dance<\/em> by <strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> is out now on <strong>A Wolf At Your Door Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wicked Snakes<\/strong> links: <a href=\"\/\/facebook.com\/wickedsnakesuk%E2%80%9D\">Facebook<\/a>|<a href=\"\/\/twitter.com\/wickedsnakesuk%E2%80%9D\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Words by Ali Cooper (<a href=\"\/\/twitter.com\/alizombie_%E2%80%9D\">@AliZombie_<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Musically conveying the mind\u2019s processes throughout the day is, in itself, something difficult to get your head around. Wicked Snakes attempt just that with &lsquo;Sleep Dance&rsquo;, a psychedelic journey through a range of psychological states grounded in heavy rock-infused riffs. As bizarrely intriguing as it might sound, the Staffordshire quartet\u2019s debut is sadly nothing ground-breaking, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8181],"tags":[727,5879,7228,7227],"class_list":["post-12583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-post","tag-a-wolf-at-your-door-records","tag-album-reviews","tag-sleep-dance","tag-wicked-snakes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Album Review: Wicked Snakes - Sleep Dance - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Musically conveying the mind\u2019s processes throughout the day is, in itself, something difficult to get your head around. 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