Forest Cathedral by Red Mesa

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” — John Muir

A walk in the woods. That’s what inspired Red Mesa’s new single “Forest Cathedral” on Desert Records.

Not to sound trite, but even saying that anything “inspired” the song is a misnomer. A more accurate way to explain how the song came about is that it was “revealed” to bass player Alex Cantwell during repeated hikes in the same area of Oak Flat in Tijeras, NM.

“In New Mexico where we live”, explains Alex, “ there are different topographies within a short drive from each other including high desert landscapes, forested mountains, river valleys with old growth trees called the bosque, sand dunes, grass plains, salt flats, caves, etc . This provides an aesthetic variety and different perspectives. I spent 10 months renting a cabin in the mountains in the forest, and it was an amazing place to spend time. I especially loved my frequent hikes, and this song, riff by riff was all pieced together in my head as the muse provided it to me and made it available for me to snatch out of the air. The lyrics are simply an outpouring of simple gratitude for the forest itself”.

Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the Albuquerque, NM based band. Founding member and guitarist/vocalist Brad Frye and drummer Roman Barham both worked jobs with BLM and the Forest Service and other environmental organizations in their 20’s. The band members spend time in nature - camping, hiking, climbing, biking, and fishing, when they can. 

“Forest Cathedral” sees Red Mesa embracing it’s gratitude and reverence for something else as well; doom metal. While their 2020 album “The Path to the Deathless” saw the band branch out from a desert rock fornat with nods to Kyuss, but also Motorhead, east coast doom, and expansive soundscapes that would give way to quiet acoustic passages and death metal alike, this new single is a nod to true doom, but done in Red Mesa’s ever-evolving style.

Red Mesa are a heavy desert rock band based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Formed in late 2013, Red Mesa compose a sound that interlopes desert rock with doom metal, psychedelic and western singer-songwriter/folk.


https://youtu.be/AGrYsXtNlHM
https://youtu.be/qvj_2qfH6aE

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