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FAERIE RING
Weary Traveler

King Volume (2023)
Rating: 6/10

One could easily be forgiven for thinking that by the cover art alone that this is some mid-80s Euro metal throwback, but no, the wonderfully named Faerie Ring is very much on the stoner scale. Weary Traveler is the second album by this Evansville, Indiana-based four-piece that sort of revels in a Black Sabbath circa Sabotage (1975) design led by vocal echoes that could no doubt be heard on the moon.

While I usually prefer my metal doomier, there is much to savour on this six-track outing because while I’m not a great fan of the unremarkable vocals of guitarist James Wallwork there is an uplifting charm to the melodious title track and the more arduous ooze of ‘Silver Man In The Sky’.

As with a lot of bands of this ilk the sound comes drenched in fuzz and whether slow, mid or high tempo the fluff never ceases to clog the needle, but I have to admit that by the midway point my attention did start to wane. Those of a more stoned mind set may revel in the lumbering yet colourless ‘Endless Color / Dope Purple’, while the bluesier juggernaut ‘Lover’ does bring a nice, busier stride. However, Faerie Ring spend too long within their own exhaled clouds of puff, and decent cover art and a few generic riffs here and there just doesn’t do enough when it comes to wrenching itself out of the realms of the nonspecific and average.

Neil Arnold

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