Riastrad – Riastrad

 

 

Riastrad – Riastrad
Self-released – 2026
Rock, Doom, Stoner, Metal, Grunge
Rated: ***

Of course… Riastrad has already been on the Rich And Turbo Show… Cause Rich never sleeps and ropes everyone into joining him on Rich And Turbo’s Heavy Half Hour. Which usually lasts well over a half hour, but that’s okay, cause time flies by as you listen and watch them talk music. Cause we all love to talk about music. This time though, the Riastrad interview only passes the time mark with some five minutes. Go watch it HERE… 

But luckily lasting forty-five minutes is the debut self-titled album Riastrad. Straight out of Portland, comes this four-piece that opt to go for the classic toned metal. Doom to the touch and with a definite motoring vibe. Ten furious metal tracks, topped by searing vocals delivered by Paige Parker. Vocals that can turn more honey toned and lure you deeper into the Riastrad sound on the drop of a dime. 

Traditional in tone and classic in its approach to doom metal, it is by no means just doom. The fat riffs are there, and so are the operatic vocals and the gothic grandeur. But not everything is slowed to a crawl, often in fact it speeds up and mirrors a more thrashy approach or the heavy metal of yore. But in atmosphere, the monumental melodies, approaching that medieval quality and seismic feel all at once, has Riastrad delivering nothing but class. 

Class, but the kind that owns plaid shirts and loves their grunge, for as the album continues, definite influences of the nineties and stonerrock do pop up. It’s what gives the album that touch or originality needed to make this a special debut. Why yes! This is the kind of ruckus every metal head will adore. Older heads because it will remind them of their youth. And the youth because it will wild them out or shoot them down a rabbit hole discovering how deep it all really goes… 

(Written by JK)

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