{"id":15191,"date":"2025-07-10T09:05:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T13:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=15191"},"modified":"2025-07-10T11:55:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T15:55:46","slug":"review-neon-horse-habit-of-creature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/10\/review-neon-horse-habit-of-creature\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Neon Horse \u2013 Habit of Creature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Neon Horse \u2013 Habit of Creature<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you form a side project, a supergroup, if you will, of elite players from successful bands, it would almost be admissible if they phoned it in. I mean, on paper, the talent is so superior, you might not ever notice if the individuals were complacent or not. It might be forgivable if they put half their hearts into it, ya know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not so with Neon Horse. Mark Salomon, Jason Martin, and Steven Dail come roaring out of the gate with \u201cHaskell Moon,\u201d churning and riffing with the kind of energy and passion you\u2019d expect from a band of 19-year-olds with something to prove. This snappy tune clips along with raw, buzzsaw guitars at Queens of the Stone Age pace that would fit right in with a 1975 David Bowie concert at the Whisky a Go Go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNuttin\u2019 There\u201d continues with both pomp and soul, conjuring the feel of \u201cGimme Shelter\u201d Stones or \u201cSaturday Nights Alright for Fightin\u2019\u201d Elton John. Piano keys reminding us all how tight a band can sound even at high speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who knew that the guitarist behind Starflyer 59, the drummer for Project 86, and the singer for The Crucified could groove this heavy? It\u2019s easy to imagine this band playing live and having the whole place movin\u2019 to their sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoana Lisa\u201d repeats a stairstep riff that\u2019s as strong as Deep Purple or Sabbath, but slow and catchy enough to dance to. This EP would be the perfect soundtrack for a Tarantino film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Know That it Can Be Confusing (When It\u2019s All Your Fault)\u201d mixes the snotty, flippant, and sassy sounds with lyrics of equal \u2018tude. It\u2019s a musical coup d\u2019etat that\u2019ll make you want to sing it to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This amazing collection of musicians sounds like a band. A defined sound, and songs worth repeating. If they were a sports team, I wouldn\u2019t count them out as contenders, because these all stars play like a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While they\u2019ve been around as a studio band since their 2007 self-titled debut (which featured a generous 12 songs), this band hasn\u2019t received the kind of notoriety their songs deserve. 2009\u2019s Songs of Love, Defiance, and Delusion<\/em> only furthered the deserved reputation of equal parts muscle rock with funk and groove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only downside to Habit of Creature is its too-short length. No sooner does it start that is stops. Or it seems that way, at least. One can get lost in this EP\u2019s angry joy long enough, but it leaves without the satisfaction of finishing four songs and then flipping the record over for more. Imagine Led Zeppelin IV without side two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until we meet again, my friends, I tip my worn, leather cowboy to you. Mad respect, men. Mad respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Velvet Blue)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just for fun, here’s a couple videos from the first two Neon Horse albums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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