The Very Reverend

"a slinkier, dirtier sonic landscape that’s a lot more Queens of the Stone Age, a lot less Foo Fighters. With a cool-as-hell music video directed Jay Brown, 'Leash' marks The Very Reverend as a band to watch." - Bangor Daily News - Emily Burnham

The modern rock canon has its heroes. I’m sure you can name several. on their new five-song EP, Portland’s the Very Reverend manage to conjure a whole bunch of them. Fusing glam-rock finesse, sexed-up fandango, and a noirish aesthetic, their slick debut nods toward a pantheon of established rock demigods while carving out fresh marks on the floor.

Recorded as a duo, it helps that this record sounds about as good as it possibly could — which is to say fantastic. Produced by Jonathan Wyman at the Halo and mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway, the Very Reverend’s slim, trim songs are captured in their cockjest, most swaggeringly fat versions. The lurching, midtempo three-four of “Karenina” feels ready to topple over in its brazenness. A native of the Bangor area, songwriter and guitarist Justin Chamberlain’s aptitude as a vocalist carry the songs here, along with the fat-bottomed bass of Brendon Bouchard, which more than earns its keep as the album's premium sonic real estate. “Karenina” opens with Bouchard offering his instrument as a sort of pulse, with Chamberlain issuing taunts and parries before a cascade of spooky synths usher in his falsetto-heavy chorus.

The EP’s centerpiece, “Crying Like an Orphan” comes closest to capturing the sort of glory the group is capable of. A brooding, narcotized rock songs with explosive and rewarding chorus and galloping melodic bridge, the Reverend recalls the better rock bands to go dark over the last generation like Failure and Helmet, while Chamberlain’s vocal range surpasses that of Ken Andrews and Page Hamilton’s (as well as the snarl of Josh Homme, another of the album’s touchstones). As the most strident and barreling song of the bunch (and boasting a ballsy false end) it’s surely no accident that “Crying” is the favorite of this groove-allergic reviewer’s listen.

Grooves make the world go round, however, and the Very Reverend have plenty of them. “Leash” could be a heavier-sounding track from Spoon’s Girls Can Tell, while the mammoth-bass-driven “You Want Love” could work as a track by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Eagles of Death Metal, or even Portland’s much-loved Murcielago, a mostly defunct heavy rock band the Very Reverend make no secret of admiring.

It’s rare a band emerges from the woodwork sounding this professional and ready for success. The Very Reverend might sound like a lot of true rock fans’ favorite bands — perhaps too much, typical for new acts — but there’s more than enough distinctly memorable moments to keep the faith.

Fav Track: “Crying Like an Orphan”

RIYL: Spoon, Eagles of Death Metal, Murcielago - The Portland Phoenix / Conway Daily Sun