Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio we’ve been listening to Concrete SuperGun’s latest single, Valhalla. This is their first single under a newly rebranded name of Concrete SuperGun.
Concrete SuperGun are; Reiner Slay – Vocals Tyler Phelps – Guitar Taylor Nelson – Bass Billy Claypool – Drums
Drenched in Norse mythology, Valhalla is the story of a Viking who sets out on his last trek as he is slowly dying, dreaming of Valhalla, before he finally passes and joins his friends in Valhalla.
Valhalla fades in with distant guitars before a chugging guitar rhythm and powerful drums join the song. We all instantly found ourselves smiling and slowly nodding in time to the music.
This is just the perfect style of anthemic alt/hard rock that we love! The band are tight and the lead vocalist is accomplished and versatile. The layered vocals add a great touch and we love the changes in effects on the vocals. The harmonies in the choruses are to die for – sitting perfectly behind the lead vocal and adding some real depth to the track.
Lead vocals from Reiner Slay are powerful, strong and passionate; reminding us of many of the greats of the 90s rock era. This is a band that we would dearly love to see perform live. These are exceptional musicians.
Valhalla is a song which has lots of different sections to keep the listener thoroughly engaged throughout. The sections have some really cool change-ups in rhythms and styles and at every step of the way, it seems that the band have thought very carefully about grabbing attention and taking your ears on a real journey. The rise and fall in this track is truly spectacular.
The breakdown to an instrumental fade-out with filtered vinyl-sounding static is a nice touch and wraps up the song perfectly.
Ideas from our ears
To our ears, there is not a lot going on above about 6kHz which is where all the brightness, presence and clarity would lie. A fairly large (~8-10dB?) boost in this area would certainly improve the ‘realness’ and life in the track. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
For fans of heavy rock, metal and 90s-tinged indie rock, Concrete SuperGun’s, Valhalla will tick all the boxes for you. This is high-quality hard rock. More, please!