Pink Cigs is a heavy metal band from Sheffield in the United Kingdom that was first formed in 2016. The website HairBandHeaven.rocks describes the band as a super group from the Sheffield area, and the group’s debut EP was featured in Classic Rock magazine on a compilation of the best new bands. This album, Pink Cigs (2020), is the group’s first full-length album, and features tags such has hard rock, punk, rock, classic rock, heavy, metal, proto metal, and psychedelic on the album’s Bandcamp listing. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Noose” gets started after a moment with some groovy, laid-back, classic hard rock sounding guitar lines. Oh wow, the drums and another guitar come in and really get the track moving nicely. Oh wow, I really dig the percussion in this track; the big bass drum and the crashing of the cymbals give the soundscape a super heavy feel. Holy smokes, a super groovy lead guitar comes in with some face-melting classic hard rock guitar lines. Oh wow, the track picks up a sort of airy feel as the rhythm guitar seems to drop out for a moment while the lead guitar and drums keep on grooving. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“Low Blow” gets started with more classic 1970s hard rock-sounding guitar lines that I’m really digging. Oh wow, I really dig the vocals in this track, which almost take on a sort of punk meets hard rock feel. Holy smokes, the track picks up a really interesting feel that seems to have a bit of heavy psychedelic style for a moment. Holy smokes, the track slows down for a moment, almost like a roller coaster reaching the very top of the first hill, and then the band launches into some super super sweet, speedy grooves to finish off the track. Great tune.
“Lazy Lover” gets started with some super sweet fuzzed guitar riffs that have a sort of heavy punk rock feel that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, I really dig the vocals in this track. Oh wow, the lead guitar gets some super groovy psychedelia-inflected hard rock lines in. The vocals keep on pulling me further into the music. Holy smokes, the lead guitar launches into what sound to be classic psychedelic hard blues rock lines that keep pulling me closer and closer to my speakers. Great tune.
“Nightstalker” gets started with some heavy fuzzed-out guitar riffing that sort of has an upbeat stoner rock feel that I’m really digging. Oh wow, I really dig this track so far. Holy smokes, I really dig the way the vocals, drums, and guitars all seem to lead you further down some dark, strange stoner rock path during the chorus. Holy smokes, the drums and bass get super deep and the guitars get really harmonious as the track seems to begin to building up to a super groovy heavy crescendo of sorts. Holy smokes, the lead guitar launches into some super sweet hard rock lines for the end of the tune. Great track.
“Leecher” gets grooving with a deep rhythm section from the drums and bass, which drive forward some really sweet and melodious fuzzed guitars. I really dig the heaviness in the guitar riffing, which keeps the soundscape really tight and grooving along. Holy smokes, the lead guitar starts playing some classic hard psychedelic blues rock lines that once again hook me further into the song. Holy smokes, the band gets into a super interesting heavy marching movement that seems to build up a bit of tension. Oh wow, the band lets loose for some super groovy hard rock lines for the outro. Super sweet track.
“Shiver” gets started with some heavy, fuzzed guitar riffs that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, I really dig the harmonious sound of the rhythm guitar riffing with the lead guitar lines. Oh wow, the vocals have a classic hard rock sound that have caused my ears to get closer and closer to my speakers. I’m really digging this melodious, fuzzed-out, heavy soundscape. The drums sound absolutely massive. Holy smokes, I just notice the super low bass line that grooves along to the beat, seemingly underneath all of the other instrumentation in the track. Great tune.
“Dirty Trick” gets grooving with some heavy, fuzzed riffing. Oh wow, I really dig the way the band seems to continually move as a single unit, with each instrument feeding off of the other in what could be perceived as a musical representation of a perpetual motion machine. Wow, great track.
“Whiskey Woman” gets started with some quick, distorted guitar chords, and some tentative percussion that make the soundscape feel as though it’s about to launch into something massive. Oh wow, the track indeed does get grooving into a massive hard rockin’ movement with a sort of bluesy undertone. The soundscape feels like a conglomeration of late 1960s blues rock, early 1970s hard rock, and a tight, modern stoner rock/metal that I’m really digging. Holy smokes, the track launches into another hard rockin’ movement with the lead guitar playing some classic bluesy lines in a face-melting solo. Wow, great track.
“Devils Grip” gets moving with some more heavy flavors from the guitars and percussion. Holy smokes, I really dig the way the low bass line seemingly slides right into place next to the drums in the soundscape. Oh wow, I really dig the classic hard rockin’ feel of this track. The guitars have a really melodious sound as they seemingly play an octave away from one another from across the soundscape. Super sweet tune.
“Black Widow” gets started with incredibly heavy sounds from the tight, fuzzed guitars, set to a super groovy, dynamic, hard beat. Oh wow, I really dig how big and low the bass line sounds, almost as if the bass had to be played in the basement of a skyscraper and recorded multiple stories up to avoid both blowing out the speakers and knocking the whole building over. Holy smokes, I really dig the heavy, groovy jams that band gets into for the outro. Great tune, and a super sweet way to finish off the album.
I’m definitely glad that I checked out this album tonight. Something I didn’t mention earlier is that this album was released on the Heavy Psych Sounds record label, which is a label I’ve definitely enjoyed a lot over the last year. The mixture of classic hard rock flavors from the 1970s, hard psychedelic blues rock from the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a sort of more modern stoner rock/metal sound had me hooked almost immediately. There were also some moments that the band seemed to incorporate some punk sounds with a sort of heavy metal feel as well that I really enjoyed. If you’re a fan of hard rock from the 1970s and have any inclination towards heavy psychedelic rock, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A