EP Review: Folk Devils – Forever

The Folk Devils are or where a “post-punk” outfit who’s last release was an watering 33 years ago!   Using the term “post-punk” back then might have had some relevance, but is this not an out dated and well, simply a poor description of what is essentially, music not of any real genre other than their own, to box this up in such a way, is quite frankly too restrictive.

So 33 years, has this been a long awaited return or is this just a rehash of what went before?   Being that the band lost it’s front man Ian Lowery who sadly died back in 2001, they have still stayed true to the sound and artistic values that they set out with back in the 80’s, with a mix of art, blues, rock, indie and well just about anything else that they can blend into their heady no holds barred sound.  And in answer to the rehash remark, I think you may be very pleasantly confronted by what is a fresh approach to that same commitment of being unique.  

The twin guitars now throwing out a powerhouse of sound in the title track ‘Forever’ gives it a Kasabian like menace with a vocal from Dave Hodgson which with the words “remember to smile and laugh at the jokes” only add to the sinister undercurrent within this track, that all underpinned by the a monster bass and thunderous drums, it’s with no gay abandon that you enter the world of Folk Devils!

‘Ink Runs Dry’ is next up, this being an update on an original, it holds the same hypnotic rhythms as the first recording, but adds a huge chunk of additional vocal depth.

Finally and rather sadly, you reach the end with,  ‘My Slum Soul’ the clue being in the title, your dragged wonderfully down to the depths of depravity that can lurk within any mind, a mulch of dark wanderings that are entwined with some wonderful riffs and bass lines that bring the some light into the depths.

Dark, sinister but full of artistic beauty, a welcome return.

Stream ‘Forever’ HERE 

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