Photo Credit: Rogue Crayon
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is West Virginia.*
A gritty blend of classic rock and stoner/doom metal is what’s on the menu from female-fronted quartet, Scarlet Revolt. Lead singer Eve Marcum Atkinson’s striking vocals will seductively draw you into the murky, moody sonic depths on tracks such as “Bleed” which presents an imaginative interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” The fuzzily-toned, Orange-amplified guitar riffs ooze and chug along with purpose under minimal production polish that allows for a pleasingly unaltered, natural sound. The song and music video come from the band’s 2017 CD release, ‘Cold Town’ via Von Artists.
As a primarily DIY project, Scarlet Revolt takes an Appalachian family approach to their work ethic and relationship with fellow bandmembers. As self-proclaimed “resident nerd” of the band, Atkinson handles all of technical aspects of the operation while Phil Hatfield (guitar/vocals) and Phil “X” Crace (bass) collaborate on the bulk of the songwriting that is often influenced by their interest in history. The band name itself was inspired by an Orwellian fiction reference to the “scarlet pill” and the desire to revolt against its submissive effects. When not crushing it on the kit, drummer and “human metronome” CJ Davis is a hardcore gamer and amateur magician.
Often the band’s sound is reminiscent of old school heavy-hitters such as Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult, or at times embraces a more prog-influenced sound reminiscent of Rush on tracks such as the powerful “Tomorrow Never Comes” and “Pushed Too Far.” For more of their music head over to Scarlet Revolt’s official webpage where you can also check out everything that’s going on with the band and where you can find them performing near you.
