The phrase “power trio” is often bandied about for any old act consisting of three players, but if there’s any current band truly deserving of that designation it would be Fargo, North Dakota’s Egypt. The band’s second full-length, Endless Flight, spotlights everything that the band has done so well since the release of their debut self-titled EP (review HERE). Endless Flight is a ceaseless blitz of bluesy, often doom-laden riffs, powerful vocals, and molten leads that are both soulful and sublime.
The opening title track is one of the most enjoyable sonic experiences that the band has recorded up to this point. The bluesy opening guitar notes are reminiscent of the late great Junior Kimbrough, but there the similarities ends. “Endless Flight” has a timeless, classic rock feel that simply smokes. This is a blues driven hard rocker that ebbs and flows from upbeat barnburner to laidback, downtempo groove. Vocalist and bassist Aaron Esterby really delivers one of his finest vocal performances by balancing his gruff bellows with more melodic passages.
If there’s a single track that truly reveals the band firing on all cylinders that would have to be the excellent second track, “The Tomb.” It’s a darker journey compared to the album opener and finds the band foregoing calmer waters in favor of in-the-red, amp blowing stoner groove. Esterby and drummer Chad Heille are completely locked in and really lay down a pulsating rhythm that is programmed to destroy. And those leads. Neal Stein layers the tune with fluid, acid-drenched leads while Esterby and Heille keep the momentum rolling at a steady, earth-quaking pace (check the latter half of “Shaman’s March” for an equally awe-inspiring performance).
Endless Flight, with its doom-tinged, blues driven hard rock, is not much of a departure from the band’s excellent 2013 full-length Become the Sun, but it does come across as meticulously refined almost to the point of perfection. Egypt has, from the very beginning, proven to be the real deal and the band continues to hone their sound—the musicianship on Endless Flight is staggering and is in no short supply of obliterating riffs and extended jams. The perfect way to close out a year…
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