Rising Dust
Taste of Fire E.P.

December 2008
Released: 2008, Emanes Metal Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

The French hippie-doom combo, Rising Dust (rising from the ashes of another band called Dark White), have existed since 2001 and they have just one full-length album recorded in their back catalogue, self-titled as RISING DUST (on Final Chapter Records in 2005). Rising Dust´s doom sound is basically based on 70´s rock-ish doom/heavy rock ála Ozzy-era Sabbath, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, etc., i.e. some of that classic doom that so many newer bands seem to take most of their influences from - more musically and less ideologically (times have changed, that´s why). Either the band members, or their label have tagged their stuff as "witching doom metal", but I guess almost anything related to doom-ish heavy rock bands from the 70´s, got that specific tag over their stuff because wasn´t every guy - who had long hair, smoked weed, played loud music in those type of bands and shook his pelvis in a sexy yet sinful way onstage - somehow ´devil´s work´, as the Christian people wanted to see it?



´Witching doom metal´ or not, Rising Dust are a really easy listen due to their obvious influences to the 70´s heavy sounds of doom. Both new Rising Dust songs on this E.P., "Song for the Glory" and "Rock Suicide" reek deep of some sweet smoke-filled heavy/pre-doom metal - and nothing can beat that organic sound that so many doomy bands try so desperately to acquire for their records nowadays, but in the end only a few of them truly successfully capture it, and sound convincing enough with all of it. However, this French trio Rising Dust are one of them.



According to "Rock Suicide", it´s clear that these guys have listened to Sab´s "N.I.B." all their life - probably even way too much - and David, Rising Dust´s vocalist, has surely learned his Ozzy mannerisms very well over the years, with his ´alrights!´ and ´oh yeahs!´ shouts that he constantly spits out through the whole song. I also like the way how Rising Dust have bravely made their own cover versions of Pentagram´s "Forever My Queen"- and Motörhead´s "Iron Horse/Born to Lose" songs, trying to stay somewhat truthful to the originals, but at the same time, also trying to make them to fit into their own sound as well. Two good choices from them for the cover songs, definitely!



This is all round good stuff here, done before - yes, but so what? Good stuff is always good stuff - and that´s what really matters, right folks? ;o)