In today’s extremely layered and complex soundscape, it’s not hard to listen to any number of bands and hear the strings of influence from many great acts of the past and present come through into the sound of fresh acts whether it be for better or for worse, but there’s very little that can compare to a band doing those influences justice. It’s one thing to do a straight-up copy, but to take those cherished experiences and turn them into something that you can certifiably call your own is to successfully create a work that’s more than worthy of attention. With all sorts of influences from what feels like every kind of source, it’s on their forthcoming opus that Callus absolutely stuns.
It’s quite the task to even attempt to make one song that can be considered a real melting pot of many different styles with there being so much work that goes into making just one style sound cohesive let alone mixing together multiple to achieve a sound that’s larger than life. While the very core and majority of what Callus has carefully concocted hear cannot be considered anything other than a comfortable inclusion into the vast realm of stoner doom in all of its many different forms, it’s throughout the bold seven tracks of all that “A Breath of Flesh Air” conjures out of the ether that the ear can detect distinct strings from the world of death metal, sludge, and classic desert rock that all come together almost too well to make for a dizzying blend of heaviness and ethereal glory the likes of which we don’t get often with the efforts that properly balance such an idea well even rarer. While the many different styles all having a place to call their own throughout this immensely eclectic record, it’s the riffs that steal the show with the vocals allowing them to march forward with real power as the drums keep the thunder rolling as it’s at every turn Callus doesn’t only decimate all in its path in glorious fashion but show us what it really means to deliver the goods in a form that cannot be considered anything other than exceptional.
This is the type of work that throngs of bands are always striving to achieve with all that’s brought to the table as Callus does not hesitate to go the extra mile and provide a performance that’s truly compelling all the way to the very end, and that’s just the very cusp of everything that they managed to throw our way for this massive work. Records like “A Breath of Flesh Air” do not come around often whatsoever, so should you want to experience a more than worthwhile album that does not grace our ears more than maybe a few times in any given year then you should not and cannot miss out on what Callus has made for us here.
“A Breath of Flesh Air” releases on October 29th!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “A Breath of Flesh Air” on Bandcamp here.
LIKEÂ Callus on Facebook here.
Head-Banger Reviews 