This French psych outfit rose from the ashes of The Socks, which burned out pretty quickly after putting out their debut album on Small Stone. Mind you, that Socks debut was a fairly solid effort, which gives me reason enough to peruse what this new offshoot has in store.
Sunder starts off with some haunted organ, opening the shuffling throwback rock of “Deadly Flower” on a Purple-hued tone. Keys also feature prominently on “Cursed Wolf,” which sounds so much like an early ’70s psych tune that I’m almost surprised it’s not a cover. They’ve certainly nailed the vintage sound, I’ll give ‘em that. Mind you, The Socks seemed to be slightly heavier, pounding away where Sunder shimmers. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Suffice to say, you can easily lump Sunder in with Graveyard, Kadavar, and the whole bunch of retro Euro rockers. But y’know what, next to the new Graveyard, I’d say they hold their own. Can’t touch Kadvar, though, IMO…
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