Fuzzy and heavy. Expansive and descriptive That's what begins THERMATE's "Redshift City", and the same approach the 5 piece combo utilizes throughout. A six track rager of an album where the songs range from 4 minutes to just over 9 minutes, and averaging at 7 minutes, it nonetheless gives the listener a lot to try to sort though. This is another album that really benefits from subsequent listens, and has enough merits that it deserves more than just a single cursory run through.

I don't know who plays what guitar where, but my God, the guitar solos on "Godspeed" are masterful, as are the riffs kicking off "100 Years". Whether it's Väätäinen, Honkanen or some collaborative effort, both of these pieces really stood out and deserve to be heard. Vocally, the easy analogy would be to compare Arthur Thure to Ian Astbury of the CULT. On many occasions, the similarities were undeniable, and it became a weird fascination. After a few extra listens, the similarities began to fade and Thure's own inflections took to the forefront. Tirkkonen and Partanen solidly hold down the lowest of the low ends admirably, allowing the dual guitars to weave their psych fueled incantations.

"Redshift City" is a pretty solid release start to finish, with "100 Years","Greener Pastures" and "God Speed" standing out as my personal highlights. The Kuopio, Finland band had recently inked a deal with Italian Argonauta Records to release this debut, and having done so seem to be in good hands. My only real criticism would be that at points I think a deeper, richer guitar tone might have benefited songs like "100 Years" providing a darker feel that would have really accentuated the vocals. But all things considered, THERMATE have done themselves and Finland proud with "Redshift City". Fans of Argonauta Records will undoubtedly get some exposure to the band via their ever present social media presence and band marketing. Hopefully this should pay off for both band and label. THERMATE is definitely a band to keep an eye on.