Since releasing their second album ‘Blood Lust’ back in 2011 it would appear that psych rockers, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, can do no wrong. The last four years has seen the band embark upon an upwards trajectory; hand selected to tour Europe with Black Sabbath, they then further cemented themselves as a household name within the doom community with 2013’s ‘Mind Control’. Their love of Tony Iommi style riffs, hammer horror and everything to do with the seedy underbelly of 60s California has propelled their career thus far and it is with this that we see the emergence of album number four: ‘The Night Creeper’.
Wasting no time with introductions, ‘Waiting For Blood’ gets right down to business with a riff that creeps and crawls its way alongside those trademark garage rock vocals and an acid soaked atmosphere of psychedelia. This record is somewhat of a return to the roots of Uncle Acid’s much underappreciated debut ‘Vol 1’ – there’s a much more sober feeling to ‘The Night Creeper’ despite its theme of drugs and murder. With the exception of the upbeat ‘Melody Lane’, this album errs towards the gloomier feel of its subject matter and this is reflected in the darker sounding instrumentals and slow and steady tempo.
Of course there are moments on this album when it’s easy to recognise the odd riff that has been recycled from previous albums and this may give the impression that it’s more of the same, however, the band have a much tighter musical focus this time around. With less attention paid to imagery and murderous aesthetics, they have invested more time in writing and the pay off comes from acoustic jams such as ‘Slow Death’. True, ‘The Night Creeper’ certainly isn’t as accessible as ‘Blood Lust’ or ‘Mind Control’ but it gives Uncle Acid the opportunity to flex their music muscle and prove they are more than just a gimmick.
Ultimately, ‘Night Creeper’ offers up not just another chance to experience the vibes of dropping acid and holding hands with the Manson family, but the opportunity to hear what Uncle Acid are genuinely capable of musically. The premise of cheesy horror and 60s psych rock is still present and timeless as ever, it’s just grown up a little.
(8/10 Angela Davey)
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