Blues rock and grunge in the guitar tone and rhythms, post-rock in the echoing, theatrical to gritty vocals, and something like alternative and explosive indie freedom at the forefront. French band Quintana Dead Blues eXperience get the chemistry just right, with the fiercely independent charm and passion of their brand new album Ashes.
Firing into action with the title-track and single Ashes, we’re led into a simple and spacious rock realm of authenticity – slick riffs, heavy distortion, reverb-soaked vocals but not hiding anything at all in that production choice – the voice is stunning, impassioned and captivating, raspy at its peak, genuine and natural in its born-to-perform realism and fluidity.
Then there’s the subject matter, this alternative bluesy groove engaging for its set-up and flow alone, but the mystique and implications of the lyrics laying down a whole other reason to fall in love with this band. This is realism and introspection encapsulated, the essence of punk walking hand-in-hand with some kind of compelling vulnerability, and these qualities run throughout the new album; the soaring riffs, the catchy refrains, the massive hooks, the thought provoking statements and sentiments, the pain and power all united. Spell On Me is intense, addictively stopping and starting, with heavy guitars countering the spacious verse vocals, and the melody rising to satisfying alongside that.
This is something Quintana Dead Blues eXperience get just right – that balancing of the sheer, unapologetic weight and roar of hard rock, with the absolute delicacy and comfort of a melodic earworm. The whole album walks the line between unpredictable and unforgettable perfectly well, promising stand-out hard-rock anthems like What Is Mine and the rather phenomenal Still Haunted, and even taking the time to deliver the live-rock sonic escapism of moments like the gorgeous I Will Be Myself, the intriguing Kinda Low, and the subsequent ferocity of an aptly-titled Wild as Fire.
In short, there’s something refreshingly real about Quintana Dead Blues eXperience. Something that can’t be faked, but isn’t easy to pinpoint in writing. They’ve been playing for years, performing and writing regardless of industry expectations – they love the process, they need it, and that rings loudly throughout the ten tracks of Ashes. The sound is heavy, immersive, hypnotic, and addictive to fall into, and there’s also something deeply, rather profoundly human about the ideas and feelings that rain down.
For lack of a more sophisticated closing statement – Ashes is an absolute banger of a rock album for the summer of 2026.
Find Quintana Dead Blues eXperience on Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook.
