Faded Sun are a four-piece band hailing from Clinton, TN, about 20 miles northwest of Knoxville. They create pure, classic, old-school metal. Their bold new project is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and artist, Michael Simpson. Faded Sun's latest EP 'Haunted' is out now. Let's take a closer listen...
Opening track 'The New Era' will sweep you well and truly into the universe of this band. Their music is hellish, with soul-crunching guitar instrumentation and bass-smacking double kicks from the drummer. A piercing lead vocal will stay with you long after hearing.
'Night of the Living Dead' further shows an intentional withholding from the typical growl vocal you often here in metal music. 'Never Sleep Again' has the guitar chords plucked in the intro have a haunting beauty reminiscent of the likes of Metallica which then erupts into full-throttle energy that will shatter your teeth. The texture of this music is very thick and there is quite an intricate musical arrangement at work here.
'Don't Wake The Dead' is a spine-tingling track with another macabre theme. It has a brooding interlude mid-way before erupting with a 'laugh' back into the heaviness of before, and then some. This is truly a climactic moment in the EP. 'Metal Assault' will leave you hardly anytime to catch a breath - it is unapologetically raucous with raw emotion coming through in the drama of the drums.
Most of songs on the EP generally have a fast tempo which suit the thrash metal genre, which is often characterised by it's fast tempo as well as loudness. The beats from the drums are fast and exciting and the accelerated strumming of the power chords on the rhythm guitar also give it that fast tempo. There's also the bellowing distorted electric guitar once more, which serves to reflect the anger and energy of the band’s ethos. All in all, this EP is epic and it is not for the faint of heart.
The EP was recorded, mixed, and produced at “The Dojo” in Clinton, TN. The mastering for 'Haunted' was done by Kara Greskovic.