Archie Orbell (drums), Clarke West (guitar), Henry McConnell (vocals), and Otis Murphy (bass), make up the foursome from Wanaka called Powder Chutes. And whooooah, do we have some heavy rockers on our hands here!

This band is already making huge waves in the Aotearoa music scene and overseas. They have very definite fans in Alien Weaponry, for example, as well as having a CV that includes top 10 NZ Rock chart singles, as well as live shows opening for The Feelers, Jordan Luck Band, and at the 2023 Gibbston Summer show which also featured ZZ Top, Pat Benatar, Stone Temple Pilots and The Angels. And so yes, these guys are already climbing the ladder rather quickly.

This new single helps one to understand why. Henry‘s vocal is a surprising timbre for the genres they cover, yet it works in spades. He would suit any band from soul and jazz through glam to the hard out metal/grunge crossover this track comes across as. There is a touch of punk in the vocal, a swagger that sits well with me. It’s the sign of a confident front man enjoying plying his craft.

The bottom end of this mix sits pretty well in the melting pot, although I do admit my personal taste would have liked the bass to be a teeeeeensy bit more prevalent volume-wise. This isn’t an objective criticism – it’s a subjective preference of my own, and I might be the only person who thinks it. Having said that, one can hear the bass clearly, and the scales, runs and sets really anchor the overall composition nicely. The drums are very well delivered, with the beat changes dropped in effortlessly and without altering the tempo and thereby the furious energy of the track. Between them they gel really nicely.

I really dig Clarke West‘s guitar work. The effects on the rhythm gat are a real testament to thrash metal, yet have a raw distortion more synonymous with punk too. For the meaning behind the lyrics, the EPK tells all: The lyrical theme delves into social anxiety and self-reflection, yet delivers a no-holds-barred hook that channels societal frustration into a rage-filled vocal challenge that pulls no punches. ‘Merchants’ promises to connect with fans across the wider spectrum of rock, alternative rock, grunge and beyond.

It’s evidently resonating already as the song has been picked up for an up-coming major project. I won’t steal the thunder further with any spoilers, rather let the EPK and the band themselves tell you more. Let’s just say it’s pretty exciting news.

This is a surefire top ten Rock chart hit here, and I suggest many places overseas too. It’s going to be on all our mainstream radio channels that play rock and metal. It’s GOT to have a video by release date. It doesn’t have one right now because I’m reviewing at the end of June and release isn’t until 26th July. That’s when you’ll see it on Spotify and the rest.

Very high energy, a very cohesive band sound, and a commercial (by metal standards) melody, Merchants is going to send Powder Chutes into the stratosphere. Get amongst it now, so you can say you liked them when.