Butchers of Sky Valley

As far as music is concerned,
mystique makes all the difference. It's indefinable and immortal. It's as infectious as it is instantly recognizable. Butchers of Sky Valley possess that kind of aura.

That mystery also happened to be six years in the making. In 2007, singer songwriter Mike Mokotow and the bands former guitarist John Cosenza began writing songs together on a whim. As their creative partnership progressed, life's ebb and flow immensely impacted their compositions. Both gentlemen married, Mokotows father passed a decade prior to the bands formation while Cosenza endured the loss of his father and enjoyed the birth of his first child during those formative years. The songs reflected shards of those moments in a sonic pastiche.

"So much happened over these past few years that it was hard not to pour ourselves into the music entirely," admits Mokotow. "There were a ton of changes. We faced both life and death. The album documents all of that, and it's a release. We wanted to make a cohesive piece. Now, it feels like a book from beginning to end."

That "book" is set to one hell of a soundtrack. Rousing guitars give way to the vocalist's hypnotic crooning, while drums stomp below. The frontman describes the group's sound best. He laughs, "One night after a couple of beers when asked about our sound I said, If early ZZ Top bitch-slapped The Black Keys while Queens of the Stone Age was on the radio, that would be Butchers of Sky Valley."

Certainly, those influences receive a nod, but the boys really elevate themselves into a league of their own on tracks like the first single "Hold On Heartbreak". A roaring riff rises as a hazy hook seeps into focus. "I wanted something more universal with a simple groove," he says. "I hummed out the guitar parts, and we recorded that one live. Lyrically, it's like saying goodbye to an old friend. It's a send-off song."

Elsewhere on the album, "Pony Up" channels Black Sabbath with its brash full throttle riffage, while "Get Loose" shakes out enough Delta swagger to flood the Mississippi with a mind-numbing solo and the proclamation"Let's get the blues!" Opener "Black Magic" casts its spell through ominous six-string fireworks and ethereal chanting. "I was in Berlin and had all of these crazy dreams and night terrors," the singer recalls. "When I got home, these lyrics came together. It's that idea of 'Black Magic' and unknowns, of being vulnerable to your subconscious."

There's a sense of intrigue inherent within Butchers of Sky Valley, from the bands name to the albums lyrical content. While Mokotow hints that the band name partly derives from the Kyuss classic Welcome to Sky Valley, its a name that leaves you pondering the meaning behind it, just like the writing on the album. The cinematic lyrics conjure up vivid imagery delivered with depth and immediacy, leaving the listener with the urge to continue exploring through their message tinged with a seductive purpose, like this line from Mayday Revival: hail your cursed unholy war / leave the gentlemen at the door / wake the anchors from their graves / theres a many souls to save. 

2012 saw Mokotow and Cosenza finish recording as they formed the final lineup for the band with the addition of guitarist Tim Brummer, bassist Jeff Knaster, and drummer Davis Rowan. Cosenza is now a studio partner. Now Butchers of Sky Valley are ready to really blast off. "I want people to walk away from this with curiosity," concludes Mokotow. "You can hopefully approach this record no matter what mood you're in. We're all dreamers, so lets get acquainted."

- Rick Florino