“Texas Desert Rock” is a music style that has been applied to Austin rockers High Desert Queen. The moniker is well deserved too. Their sophomore album, “Palm Reader” is not straight out desert rock. The four piece band delve into multiple influences and mix them into a heady, intoxicating brew of sounds that are equally classic and refreshingly contemporary. Having only formed in 2019, the album boasts a maturity borne of hard gigging and a dedication to creating a studio sound to match their live energy.
A Kyuss vibe hangs over album opener “Ancient Aliens” before moving into a more aggressive tone. Think early Orange Goblin meets Mos Generator; solid and chunky with an enveloping atmosphere and a ripping guitar solo that singes the big riff. “Death Perception” follows and features vocals from Emma Näslund (GAUPA) and is a slower burner baked in desert heat. The interplay between her smoky delivery and Ryan Garney’s soulful croons compliments the track completely. At what would likely close out the albums first half, the nine minute scorcher that is “Head Honcho” is a builder of a track. A giant Black Sabbath inspired riff with a fat bottom end and loads of crunch, it creates an urgency that is bombastic and completely irresistible. The up-tempo shift that brings in the guitar break is a delight. Pure ‘70’s sounding classic heavy metal full of strut, swagger and sweaty attitude; without doubt a centrepiece pillar track.
The real gold pops up on the title track. “Palm Reader” has a cool wah-wah soaked intro with a Hendrix Band Of Gypsys era vibe. Plenty of funk and groove makes you want to moooove man – if you don’t then check you have a pulse. The beauty of this album is the way each track flows seamlessly into the next. “Time Waster” has plenty of all things fat, fuzzy and good. Morgan Miller’s bass is the driver and along with Phil Hook’s drums there is a formidable rhythm platform laid down. Rusty Miller can let his guitar sing at will and does so in flying style. You can almost smell the stale bourbon and cigarettes in the hazy, booze soaked atmosphere of “Tuesday Night Blues”. The spoken word reflective tones of Ryan Garney’s narrative vocals add full effect with breaks of desperate, soulful cries. Entirely relatable, this is the lonely soul track that is reminiscent of the sounds that started life in their own home state. A second longer number closes the album in the form of “Solar Rain”. The gentle light of the intro is suddenly blasted with heaviness. The directional shift around the four minute mark is very Black Sabbath and massively doomy before banging back into the main riff. The pummelling coda is a fine and suitable climax to the album.
Bands can go their entire career without presenting an album of this quality. High Desert Queen have hit the mark with “Palm Reader”. Fans of multiple genres will lap this up and there’s just enough accessibility to ensure the band continue to get the wider exposure they deserve. The mix of groove, soulfulness, funk and outright riff-fuelled, bludgeoning heaviness is potent. This is an energising, immersive and focussed listen that simply makes you want to hit play over and over again.
(9/10 Johnny Zed)
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