Holy State - Medicine Hat Single Review

Holy State have recently been announced as the opening band for Biffy Clyro's forthcoming UK arena tour, a prestigious honour indeed. If this, their first single proper is anything to go by, their unique brand of high energy rock music certainly won't disappoint.

Medicine Hat, the A-side is an angular, pulsing and heavy piece of indie rock, mixing tones and wild vocals of bands like the Arctic Monkeys with more heavy riff rock bands like Queens of the Stone Age. It is a great song, guaranteed to get crowds going.

The B-side, Sultan of Sentiment is very much more of the same, but offering more jangly guitars and a sort of annoying lazy vocal in the verses. It doesn't quite deliver on the promise of Medicine Hat, but it does show a slower side to the band, showing diversity in the sound.

If anything, this single shows a great deal of promise for what is to come from Holy State, but not much more. These are two good songs designed to be played live, but you get the feeling there is better things to come.

Ben Walton