Album Reviews

Just the sheer mention of the name Brent Hinds is sure to get metalheads from all over the world to start drooling. After all, the guy has been destroying eardrums for a while now with his buddies in Mastodon. So when Hinds along with Tom Cheshire of the Rent Boys and All Night Drug Prowling Wolves release an album together, those same metalheads will no doubt start stretching their neck muscles in advance. Those same metalheads however will be in for one hell of a surprise because West End Motel really is a side-project and has absolutely nothing to do with Mastodon.

Instead we are treated to seventies Springsteen-esque soul with “The Witch Is Dead”, the island vibes of “El Myr”, a bit of a mariachi vibe in “Forgiveness”  and a title track that hints back to The Grateful Dead. While it sounds like a solid soundtrack for a roadtrip (which it is), the lyrics on the other hand suggest a not quite so sunny outlook on life. It lends “Only Time Can Tell” an edge that is very welcome and makes this an album that you want to crank way the fuck up in your car.