Red Mesa – The Path To The Deathless LP (Grazil Records)

It’s been a while since we had a band like this on our pages. Thankfully, Grazil Records supplied us with this outstanding piece of sonic artistry in the batch they sent a week ago. I have to admit this is the first time I am stumbling upon Red Mesa, and I was pleasantly surprised by their sound when I listened to their record for the first time. Something lurks deep down beneath the pile of abrasive, heavily distorted, fuzzy sounds that keep me returning to this vinyl release. Red Mesa is not just another ordinary stoner rock band you regularly stumble upon in record shops, distros, or streaming services. There’s more than meets the eye and I would like to talk about The Path To The Deathless, their latest full-length album, which was released by Grazil Records a while ago.

The Path To The Deathless is their second full-length release that comes right after the critically acclaimed The Devil And The Desert LP. This particular recording carries seven outstanding compositions that shapeshift the boundaries of stoner rock music. Some purists would say this material is more of an EP or a mini-album, but these numbers are lenghty enough for The Path To The Deathless to be a full-length album. Soundwise, perhaps this material mainly explores the stoner rock aesthetics, but Red Mesa know what they’re doing, and you’ll stumble on some other ingredients along the way. Judging by their sound, the band draws inspiration from stoner rock, desert rock, doom rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, and sludge metal music. The Path To The Deathless bursts with that characteristic stoner/desert rock vibes, but there’s something that caught my attention besides their love for that particular sound.

There’s a particular obscure, psychedelic, calmy, nearly cathartic ambiance which occupies the listening apparatus from all possible directions. It provides a unique listening experience that remains imprinted in your memory and forces you to spin this album again. Other than that, Red Mesa invested blood, sweat, heart, and soul in The Path To The Deathless. Their cleverly arranged melodic but heavy riffs are something special you surely don’t want to miss. Each riff is drenched in the generous servings of raw distortion. Therefore, if you’re into fuzzy sounds, this album will be the perfect choice for you. It’s nearly mindblowing how perfectly the basslines are blended with guitars. You’ll get the notion you’re listening to the same instrument during the entire album. Like the remainder of the orchestrations, the drumming performance also stands out with the luxurious palette of rhythmic maneuvers, accentuations, breaks, and fills. The Path To The Deathless is truly something special and one of those albums that stands out from the vast sea of the generic stoner rock releases. Head over to the Grazil Records for more information about ordering.