Radio Fallout has been around Austin generating good ol’ American rock since 2009, with their last release, the Mondegreen EP, 2+ years old at this point. High time for The New, and the just-in-time-for-the-holidays "Vox e Tenebris" doesn’t disappoint. Scates, Walker, and Palmer serve up spades of classic rockola riffs with these tracks; special mention for opener "I want to be alright", and (almost) title track "Lux e Tenebris". Acoustic strumming and Scates vox gives a slight Americana flavor to "Falling In", while "Wishing Well" bears traces of grunge, primarily due to Scates’ Kurt Cobain-like vox. Stretching out their range, the guys surprise with "Heir", an unmistakeably cowboy-boot-toe-tapping, bluegrass-rooted number, then follow that up with the grungy, glowering "Hour of Darkness". Taken as a whole, Vox e Tenebris showcases Radio Fallout’s firm grasp of rock and its roots, with some excellently-constructed numbers and roots-reverbating composition; scorning synths and other digitalia for more classic rock instrumentation. Part bright folk, part dark grunge, but all housed in straight-up rock ‘n roll: Should you hear this voice in the darkness, it’ll be hard to turn away before the last notes of "Status Quo" fade.– Scott Osborn
