Lord Velvet: The Background
Lord Velvet was formed in Denver, Colorado by an incredibly talented group of musicians: Taylor Webb (vocals), Scoot Scott (guitar), Matt Funk (bass), and Mike Barnes (drums). Their cosmic Rocky Mountain riffs were influenced, according to the band, by a variety of different genres and fellow musicians. For Scoot, it’s 70s rock; heavy psych for Matt, Arthur Brown and Pagan Altar (hell yeah!) for Taylor, and punk and doom for Mike.
Ok, cool. So what kind of music do these guys play? Well, that’s a little harder to nail down. To be honest, a bit of everything that we cover here: doom metal, stoner rock/metal, proto metal, psychedelic rock, dare I say some blues rock, and traditional heavy metal for starters.
As reviewers and commentators, we’re always yapping about how a certain band combines elements of this genre and that genre. Well, this band really does, and they do it simultaneously, probably more so than any band I’ve heard thus far. The band always brings the super heavy, fuzzy riffs and crawling bassline typical of the doom genre. The guitar also varies quite a lot, being whatever it needs to be, giving us some killer solos throughout the album.
Taylor has a unique vocal style that can be very bright and soaring that we hear often in stoner rock, or more of a doomy Ozzy/Christus Linderson (Count Raven/Saint Vitus) style depending on the situation. Without a doubt, his vocals are incredibly powerful and reminiscent of the traditional heavy metal/doom style.
Also, these guys are just cool dudes. If you haven’t followed them on Instagram yet, you’re missing out. The hilarious antics of guitarist Scoot Scott alone are worth it. (Picture it: a guy who sounds uncannily like Macho Man Randy Savage makes a vlog about a day in his life).
Oh, and they’re good. Really good.
Astral Lady
Astral Lady, Lord Velvet’s debut EP, was released on September 1st of this year. There are only five tracks to be had here, but there is a lot packed into the twenty-nine minute runtime.
Lament of Lo opens the album and immediately gives us a taste of Taylor’s crazy good vocal talent. This song in particular has a palpable blues rock influence. This song certainly gives the feel of a “lament”, but not in a depressing way; it’s a great song to just chill to.
Snakebite Fever is much more upbeat. It actually reminds me a bit of some of Count Raven’s more uptempo songs, especially when you consider Taylor’s vocal style on this one. It’s also incredibly catchy. Just try getting the “Dance with the demon in the dark” bop out of your head. It can’t be done. I also really dug the snaking bassline on this one.
Night Terrors was the single Lord Velvet released from this EP in February of this year. I found myself focusing on the bassline on this one also, as well as the fuzzy riffs. The vocals here are very powerful and soaring. Taylor is singing of a terrifying scenario on this song, conveyed in his occasionally trembly tone. The song picks up a bit toward the end with some awesome distortion and more emphasis on the bassline. This is a great demonstration of what this band can do in one track and is an excellent choice for a single.
From The Deep is a markedly doomy/gloomy one, and my personal favorite (Hey, I’m not here to write about puppies and unicorns and sunshine, after all). This is a doom style song as we know and love it, with some super catchy, melodic vocals. It feels like modernized traditional doom. Black Beam of Gemini ends the album with a much faster pace, some crunchier guitar, and another infectious chorus.
Lord Velvet is an absolute force to be reckoned with. I have no clue what otherworldly stuff is going down in the Rockies or what’s in the water there (Coors Light, perhaps?), but something is afoot, and it’s awesome. It’s always incredibly refreshing and honestly a bit mindblowing to hear insanely talented musicians nowadays, especially in the age where anyone with a MacBook can be a musician. But, these guys have it. They come together not only with their individual skill sets, but with their own unique musical influences to create something epic.
I’m admittedly a rather positive chick, but I can honestly say that I have no complaints about this glorious little album, other than it’s going to be really hard to wait for the next one. Lord Velvet, you have a fan in me indeed and I can’t wait to see where you go from here!
Loved the article, Stephanie! Your writing, especially describing what’s so cool about a song, is always such great fun to read! It’s wonderful that Scott is adding a female perspective to this genre. I think a video interview with the both of you would be great!😺(hint, hint😎)