A Heavy Rock Single From Dirty Snowman Society
The latest release from Dirty Snowman Society delivers a fresh blend of heavy-handed 90s-style alternative rock with progressive changes and a hint of post-hardcore in its veins, bringing out vast undertones with it, and delivering that spacious atmosphere that feels almost cinematic to the bone.
"Slow Water" has a ton of drive to it. It also boasts an amazing Sonic presence that feels super thriving, and a lot of that comes from the tones of the guitars.
This single has tons of energy to it, and almost feels similar to a live performance because of that. It has a very unique way of putting you in the moment with the song.
One of the biggest attributes to this track is the drumming. The drumming it never just sits in the pocket, but instead adds that additional drive and electric energy to the song, and it seems almost like a lot of the rest of the band has a way of pushing off of that and giving you a robust performance.
The drumming and the guitar work, even the bass guitar and vocals. A lot of this feels inspired by elements of grunge, alt-rock, and bands that served as stepping stones to put music out there that was ahead of its time.
You can definitely hear a slew of influences coming into play as the song unfolds, and it's incredibly fun to soak in.
The balance of light and dark is also quite amazing. It's got a heavy, almost darkish overtone in the beginning, and then some of the changes bring a brightness. The melody changes, the way the song plays through, at all is alive and breathing. It flows naturally but gives you these progressive transitions that feel intelligent.
It's also super tight. The production and performances across the board are just perfectly done.
Aside from it being a tight performance, they have heart. There's a lot of gusto delivered throughout this track, and that's part of what you get attached to.
For me, the song gave me a little bout of nostalgia, simply because I grew up with bands like this.
The guitar work is just wild. There are a few layers of guitars going on a lot of the time, and they do different things, so while one guitar is doing a rhythm track, performing chords and progressions, the other one is hitting open, higher-pitched versions of those chords and adding some of that cinematic backbone I mentioned earlier.
All the layers of texture going on are impactful. The song packs a massive punch, and they are not afraid to hit it hard. You can even hear how the guitars are strummed with a heavy hand on a lot of the song.
The vocals are an absolute powerhouse, but they're not over the top. Very melodically driven, but also with a slight raspiness in that delivery, so you have the hint of edginess that the song needs.
One of my favorite things about this is that the vocals complement the instruments so amazingly. He's right there on the level with the performances of the rest of the band, and I think there's a certain synergy that's happening when you listen to the song.
Yes, there's a pretty awesome guitar solo as well. This is just something I say because I miss that element in heavy rock music. It seems to have faded out for some strange reason.
I'm glad these guys are bringing it back. The guitar solo is balanced, tasteful, flavorful; it's got some soul and great technique; it's not over the top, but more melodic while still adding those little elements of shred that I needed.
That's the way the entire song is done. It's all super tasteful. It still has that heavy punch, drive, alternative overtone, and grit, but it's so elegantly performed that you get hooked into it.
I think that's what I meant by saying intelligent rock. Yes, the progressions are smart, the transitions are brilliant, and the entire arrangement of the song was very well laid out. However, the performance of everything is what gives it that polish.
They just sound like a band that's been around for years. They sound like a band that you've listened to on the radio for the past two decades at least.
So, they're not reinventing the wheel, per se. Instead, they are adding these different flavors to a genre of music that you know and love, and bringing it into their own wheelhouse.
I think that's what we need and heavy rock music in general. We need bands like this to think outside the box a little bit and bring some gracefulness back to rock music so that everything feels very high quality.
Either way, don't miss this track. It's a massive one and definitely delivers everything that you could ask for from a track of its kind and more.
Upon checking this out, I definitely wanted to chat with the band about the song so that's exactly what I did.
Check out our interview with Dirty Snowman Society below.
Check this song out while you do it and turn it up.
Thanks so much for taking the time! Let's jump right into "Slow Water"! This single has a heavy handed grunge and rock feel along with amazing guitar work!- Where did this song come from and what was it about?
I (Chris) was playing around with a pretty heavy riff. It seemed to fit the vibe of a story I had heard about a murder in Louisville- so I started kicking that around with Frank, our lead singer, and then the other guys. We are fortunate that everyone in the band contributes when we are writing- its a fun process
- I am hearing a few different styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Gosh, you name it, basically everything in melodic but heavier rock. We don’t think we sound like anyone else, but song to song, someone in the band will hear something influenced from the groups they love - one of the guys might say in rehearsal “if Bowie and Black Sabbath did a record, but it was produced by Alice In Chains, that’s what I’m hearing “ - and each of us would say something different.
- Are you performing live right now?
We are currently on a break from gigging and focusing on some new material. We’ve done a fair bit live, but want to build a little more density to play some more places we haven’t been to.
- How did this all start for you as a band?
That’s a long story - the short version is Chris (me) and Frank decide to start playing out, want to do our own material, meet Pat (bass) and eventually Cam (lead guitar) and Kody (drums) - the chemistry feels great among everyone. Our third gig we played a pretty nice sized festival in Florida - that happened fast but it’s a very tough business.
- Did you work with a producer on this release, or was this all you?
Basically us but - we work with The Spot Studios in Evergreen, CO - they are a big help on production in addition to recording
- What's next for you? Working on more new releases?
Yes we have a few more in the pipeline that will be ready in the coming months
- What would you say people can expect to hear on this track?
Some heavy melodic rock designed to put a story in your head. The inspiration for the song is a definitive story but it’s also up to the listener to fill it in.
- Before we go, what would you want to express to fans of the music?
Gratitude - it’s humbling when someone tells us that they enjoyed listening to one of our tracks or got a charge out of one of our shows.
Slow Water - Single by Dirty Snowman Society | Spotify
https://www.dirtysnowmansociety.com
