Five songs is all it takes for one to completely fall under the spell of North Carolina’s Irata. On their latest EP, produced by Kylesa’s Phillip Cope, the duo masterfully create a sonic maelstrom of tribal beats and intricate riffs that lay siege to listeners senses. Harkening back to grunge greats like Alice In Chains and Soundgarden (Think Dirt and Badmotorfinger in particular) yet filled with the stuff modern duo’s like Death From Above 1979 and Middle Class Rut bring to the table along with some Kylesa sludge makes Irata a definite band to watch.
Vultures begins with the straight up rocker “Old Smoker” and immediately shows how well drummer/vocalist Jason Ward and bassist/vocalist Jon Case gel as a rawk unit but it’s not until “Keepers Maker” that fans truly get a sense of what Irata is capable of. Beginning with Case’s hypnotic bass and a droning thump from Ward, “Keepers Maker” is just incredible from the start. Enter some guitar wails to enhance the proceedings and “Keepers Maker” is the one to get you hooked on Irata.
“Deluge” keeps the momentum going and hints at some Jane’s Addiction influences (especially in the vocal delivery which Case and Ward both share from time to time) while “Miser” is more in the vein of “Keepers Maker” but rocks harder if possible (And has a drum attack similar to the double pronged Kylesa monster). “Serpents” ends Vultures with hard riffs and completes the five song EP mission to completely enthrall you in Irata-fueled goodness.
Vultures is out on November 6th through Pig8pig/Silber Records. Click here for Irata tour dates and here to find out where you can get Vultures.
Grade: A