Review Summary: Barfighter do enough in this inaugural 3-song EP to establish themselves as a name to watch in the underground rock scene - without ever even needing any vocals.
In the modern musical world, it is increasingly hard for any act to truly innovate. It appears everything that could be done has already been done, in one form or another, and even adding a new, unique twist to a tried-and-true formula can seem like a tall order. But while many bands are perfectly happy to embrace this truism and simply replicate what someone else has created, just as many still choose to give this uniqueness malarkey the old college try.
Enter Barfighter, a Kentucky power-trio devoted to creating, in their own words,
*Doom-rock instrumentals with a 70's/80's flavor. And even a cursory listen to the group's debut EP shows they are doing a damn fine job of not only paying homage to their idols of yore, but creating their own individual sound in the process.
Indeed, if nothing else, the lack of vocals itself helps set Barfighter apart from the myriad of underground bands replicating this same type of sound in the global rock scene. Had this group had a singer, they would have probably not stood out as much from the gaggle of tripped-out psych/doomsters that crop up in any given hard rock-based Bandcamp search; by committing to their instrumental nature, however, the Kentucky trio manage to craft something unique, immediately making the listener invested in what they have to offer.
And what they have to offer is very, very good indeed, as even a casual listen to these three tracks will make abundantly clear. Barfighter's music is mellow without being tame, laid-back without being sloppy, and melodic without losing its inherent heaviness, distilling the best the 70's psych/space rock scene had to offer into something incredibly appealing and, most importantly, decidedly original.
Indeed, Barfighter's influences are not immediately apparent upon first contact, nor is the group's sound easy to define straight away. The rumbling, Anthrax-esque bassline at the start of
Plague of Arcadia may hint at heavy leanings from a few decades back, but when the fuzzed-out guitar comes in spitting angular licks, it becomes evident that the power-trio's influences hark further back still, to a time when paisley shirts and flares were still the
de rigueur heavy rock look. It takes a few more listens still to be able to pinpoint what those influences even
are, but eventually, a couple of terms of comparison do come to mind – 'Black Sabbath without the vocals' (on 11-minute powerhouse and standout track
Nebula Rising) or 'Fu Manchu stuck in second gear' might be apt comparisons (opener
Plague of Arcadia's groovy, rollicking riffs sound like pilfered castoffs from the Californians that have had their BPM artificially slowed down.) Rather than simply emulate these influences, however, the group incorporate them into a more expansive overall sound, which can comfortably be described as their own.
In short, then, Barfighter do enough in this inaugural 3-song EP to establish themselves as a name to watch in the underground rock scene. With a sound as suited to serve as the soundtrack for creative endeavours as it is for relaxing with a substance of choice, the Kentucky three-piece achieve the rare prowess of appealing to a widespread demographic without compromising a single thing about their sound – or, indeed, wasting a single note across their debut's 26-minute duration. Highly, highly recommended.
Download it here: https://barfighter.bandcamp.com/album/barfighter
Recommended Tracks
Nebula Rising
