Brass Owl – State of Mind

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It’s amazing how an album can have so many plot twists that may astonish the unadvised fan. Brass Owl “State of Mind” has some twists that maybe the millenia fan couldn’t understand properly because they mix the good old Heavy Rock and Proto Metal of Mountain and Bad Company with the grunge of Alice in Chains. While many may find this mix odd, I must remember the fan that we’ve covered several bands that do this here at Metal Addicts. The difference is that Brass Owl pour more Blues in the mix letting the band reach the skies high and get near stars as Steve Ray Vaughan and Cactus and the good old and mighty ZZ Top to say the least. First and second track, for instance, “Land Shark” and “Deuce Face” present the mix with grunge but third and forth tracks “No Filter – Stay Trendy” and “Side Effect” sound pretty bluesy with that screaming and moaning guitars full off overdrive.

Ah, the aforementioned plot twists. “The Legend of FUJIMO” changes everything I wrote to date adding some funky guitars and that effect that fans may listen in 1960’s Italian western movies. Guitarist Brian Tarter does a damn good job here showing everything he’s got so far. A lesson of how to play the guitar using technique and emotion as the masters of pentatonic used to have. Things might get a little acid in the almost six minute track “Jive Turkey” with great guitar interventions using all the tools guitarist Brian Tarter learned from the 1960s and 1970s masters. From then on “State of Mind” gets more bluesy with that touch of Texas Blues which mixes a little country music with lots of Blues features. Pure 1970s stuff. “Pale Horse” has even that tremolo effect so very used back then which gives an ethereal effect to the song. Guitars and vocals are strong and precise as they should be. Very Texas Blues, but very Texas Blues – for the millenia fans go google Texas Blues. A small hint ZZ Top.

“State of Mind” is a great album for the fans who know what a telephone token is. The ones who don’t, well…

Brass Owl “State of Mind” will be released on April 10th.

Track Listing:

  1. Land Shark
  2. Deuce Face
  3. Hook, Line and Sinker
  4. No Filter – Stay Trendy
  5. Side Effect
  6. The Legend of F.U.J.I.M.O.
  7. Jive Turkey
  8. Hoka Hey
  9. Pale Horse

Watch “State of Mind” official music video here: