BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT

Veils Of Winter RIDINGEASY

Fuzz-laden psych quintet add some heft to their waft

The savviest hepcats were onboard with these Portland heavy psych soul sisters as soon as their debut slipped out last year, fluttering all hearts at Desertfest with their heavenly faraway vocal harmonies and throbbing low-end fuzz riffs. Second guitarist Mikayla Mayhew has bolstered the density, adding new layers and quirky harmonies, helping the band expand their horizons and sharpen their material. There’s none of the debut’s extraordinary gothic country twang; Veils Of Winter is a tougher, weightier, more metallic beast, though still flowing and stretching in their woozy psychedelic way. Plus the songs have more bite, especially lumbering Mogadon hip-swinger,

Motorcycle, the 60s psych-pop sass of Spiders, brooding doomy death march Daylight, and closer

Moonlit’s epic prog jangle. ■■■■■■■■■■

FOR FANS OF: Black Sabbath, Chelsea Wolfe, Sonic Youth

CHRIS CHANTLER