Faunus is the 4th release for the St. Louis based Sons of Vulcan. The band has downsized to the duo of John Hardin (Guitar/Bass) and Gunnar Swenson (Drums) and created a single 26 minute plus instrumental piece that offers the listener a variety of musical styles. The EP opens with birds chirping/singing beneath Hardin’s unaccompanied acoustic guitar, giving a bit of old Genesis flavor to start the proceedings. As additional layers of instrumentation are added, this unfolds into a beautifully melodic 5 minutes of music. Hardin moves the music into riff based, hard rocking guitar motifs. Iron Maiden appear to be a big influence as the band dig into galloping beats, and heavy riffing that will have your head bobbing up and down. Hardin drags at the wah-wah pedal to add some different tone and flavors to his soloing. Atmospheric sections provide a bit of a breather before they segue back into heavier metallic moments, often with tricky shifting time signatures. Faunus concludes with a return to the birdsongs and church bells to match the intro. There are some great musical sections, but it also feels disjointed, as if you were listening to ideas that were pieced together, but don’t always fit. Hardin and Swenson are fine musicians, and with a bit more focus on the arrangements, it could produce some great results.
Track Listing
1)Faunus (26:21)
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