Burning Red Sun - From Dawn to Dust

Burning Red Sun

From Dawn to Dust​
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

By Mike Pryzgoda
​

From Dawn To Dust by New Jersey's Burning Red Sun is a great EP that collects the sounds of  New York City's 1970s punk and rock revival, and swirls it around with some blues elements to produce their sound.

The best songs on the EP include “This Time” which bursts out with a Ramones-like melody, vibe and fervor. The bass runs are great as is the B-section of the song, and the guitar solo is dissonant but very effective. “Gotta Six Gunn,” a slow but grooving blues with pounding piano is very catchy as well, particularly the bridge.

“Now...It's Over” features layered guitars which are almost REM-ish but with XTC-like vocals.   The bass tone is exquisite and the backing vocals are well placed. The song does go on a little long with multiple guitar solos, but the final one is very well executed and worth the wait. “A World On Fire!” is a great opening number with rolling drums moving into grinding guitars and a vocal that feels like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed hanging out together. Again, the bass is the band's secret weapon with the facile runs throughout the instrumental. The song does feel a little too compressed however, missing some of the dynamics that are implied by the exclamation point in the title.

One song that could use a revision is “Blue Skies” which has some out of time acoustic guitar in the foreground over chugging electric guitars and some easy rhymes in verse. The chorus however is very catchy and the guitar solo is great.

The EP closes with “Midnight Train” which is an homage to The Doors with its bluesy vamp and Jim Morrison like vocal. There is some strange panning of the guitar, but it fits in with the psychedelic element of the genre. The jam is long but there are some real gems within the extended guitar solos

Burning Red Sun has great songs and lots of energy simmering throughout. Here's hoping they release a live album soon to hear that energy injected in as well.

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