At a time when most bands with greasy hair and beards were putting out alt-country albums, in 2012 Mount Carmel released their stony sophomore record, Real Women, an authentic-sounding homage to rough-and-tumble late-'60s/early-'70s boogie rock legends like Free and Humble Pie. The artwork is indicative of the musical spirit. As a power trio, singer/guitarist Matt Reed, bassist Pat Reed, and drummer Kevin Skubak bash out hard-edged gritty soul riffs, with perfectly approximated Cream-style raunch and Stones-style swagger. The songs ring true to the bell-bottom era, but are constructed in a way that the band is never slavishly ripping off its influences. Mount Carmel seem truly earnest about carrying the torch. Within the echoes of classic rock, there are the fuzz guitar tones, pentatonic scales, and raspy British blues vocals that one would expect. Similarly, in the tradition of all great power trios, the rhythm section tends to stretch out and jam, but nonetheless, plays like a tight, well-oiled machine. For this record, the band shows substantial improvement from its debut, in a studio setting that boasts more of a sonic wallop than the typical basement recordings of Siltbreeze. The highlight is undeniably the band's musical chemistry, but Real Women also boasts a strong collection of songs, striking a perfect balance for people who like muscular jams and those who want to howl along..... by Jason Lymangrover........
This is one of the most promising newer bands in the retro 70's Heavy hardrock genre I have heard. Here it's all about good well played Heavy rock music sans the usal posing which is the norm in this genre. The sound and vibe is pure 1970 -1972 and real warm n fuzzy. Musically this Ohio based trio is like say Dark on a Led Zep, Blue Cheer, Sabbath trip although this their 2nd album has a great James Gang quality and vibe. I've included the best two tracks of their debut here as well. A new album is out on the 25th of March and it has a few real mean HEAVY numbers too. Play loud n have a blast!!! Support them folks!...
Trio from Columbus, Ohio. Mount Carmel's sound is pure rock/blues from the late 1960s, early '70s, reminding me of bands like Free or Ten Years After. It sounds like their seconf album was recorded out of that time. Incredible. MATTHEW REED - gtr/voc, PATRICK REED - bass, KEVIN SKUBAK - drums. .....