Alt-rock band Molly Karloff are back with a brand new, five-track EP, Supernaturalation, which follows in the footsteps of 2018’s well-received Dancing For Money EP. Hailing from Oxford, Molly Karloff pair heavy riffs and clean vocals and the resulting tracks are adrenaline-charged and admirably gritty. The production, handled by Neil Haynes (Sacred Mother Tongue, Black Dogs) at the legendary Parlour Studios, nicely captures the band’s raw edge and gives a fair idea of the band’s live sound.
Opening with the tough surge of the title track, Molly Karloff get off to a good start with the grinding riff giving way to a palm-muted chug that neatly underpins Simon Guillard’s gutsy vocal. A decent opening track, Supernaturalation sets the scene for what’s to follow, paving the way for gritty first single She Said, which hits the ground running thanks to its wah-soaked opening riff. Given plenty of weight thanks to Dan Podbery’s prowling bass, She Said is arguably the EP’s strongest song, and it’s an easy choice for a single release. A Sabbath-esque riff wrong-foots the listener on Do You Wanna, the band jamming on a simplistic riff that heads into a powerful chorus held together by Simon’s manic vocal performance. The hard-riffing road-rock of Do It Again provides the soundtrack to an imagined remake of Easy Rider, all turbo-charged vehicles pounding the tarmac as Simon’s gutsy riffing collides with Jowie Adkins’ drums. It leaves The Other Side to round things out with a stabbing riff and plenty of foot-on-the-monitor attitude.
Supernaturalation is a fine EP, but it lacks the diversity of the grunge bands that it seeks to emulate. With all five tracks opting for a rather similar pace, it starts to sound somewhat one-dimensional by the end and it lacks a quieter moment to balance the hard riffing that predominates. Bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden knew to temper their fire, even on shorter releases, and a moment of light amidst the shade would do much to give greater weight to the heavier material. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty to enjoy on Supernaturalation and it’s great to hear a band pairing clean vocals and heavy riffs in a manner that is rarely heard these days. Well worth checking out, Supernaturalation offers considerable promise for the future. 7.5
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