REDWOOD – Sky Offering

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · March 3, 2025

REDWOOD is a heavy psychedelic/ stoner rock band from California. Their prior releases includes two EPs, 2022’s Redwood EP and 2024’s Dry Rivers. REDWOOD is actually a one man band featuring Sheafer McOmber playing all of the instruments (guitars, bass, drums, keys, and vocals). On February 7th 2025, Sky Offering was released on Northern Buffalo Productions. The album contains five tracks and is thirty two minutes long.

When I first heard REDWOOD, I thought that the vocals and production sounded a lot like the awesome Deer Lord. I also discovered that they too were from California and my suspicions grew. Well, as it turns out, Sheafer McOmber is indeed the guitarist/ vocalist for Deer Lord, who coincidentally just released a two track single last month entitled Deer Lord Goes Into The Beam (review here). For whatever similarities both bands share there are some key differences between the two. REDWOOD fully traverse into the psychedelic realm with the pronounced use of keyboards and synth throughout the album.

The title track “Sky Offering” opens up the album with a sonic blast of heavy riff rock enveloped in psychedelic magic. The bombastic Deer Lord ‘doom and roll’ presence is felt but the song melts into a cosmic soundtrack of space rock. McOmber crafts a fantastic arrangement of sounds in a hard driving and heady kind of way. His bass lines are nice and busy on the verses as the fuzzy guitars accent. The song pushes out crushing stoner doom riffs throughout the song. The keyboard layers at the end of the track fades right into “The Green”. The pounding drums begin the song with some great guitar rhythms. The crashing cymbals are felt and the music has a start stop commanding drive. McOmber’s vocals derive a chilled and atmospheric tone throughout this recording. It really suits these songs well. The riffs and psych leads are excellent with this track also.

Once again, REDWOOD flows the song right into the next with fading keys. The third track “Hills” has a mellow beginning with the bass and drums building up the song. The blanket of synthesized keys overlays the song, giving it a hallucinatory element to it. The guitars are more subtle but convey a doomy feel with the prodding riffs delivered. The nine minute song is a voyage into the subconscious, elegantly composed and crafted to explore and expand the mind. REDWOOD has created a vessel in which Sky Offering serves as a mind altering experience. “Friend Or Foe” digs back into the ritual riffing that comprises the heaviness of the journey. Around three and a half minutes into the song, REDWOOD transcends it into a riffalicious and doom laden passage.

Similar to Deer Lord’s, Dark Matter Pt.2 (review here), I appreciate the production and subtle rawest of Sky Offering. The sound quality gives the songs a vintage warmness that I can really appreciate. The final track “Hollow” begins with a chunky guitar riff and crash hammering drums. The chorus has a catchy vibe going on in concert with the bashing rhythms. The mountains of psychedelic guitar leads and synth swirls are excellent too. It’s a great song and ending track to such a fantastical and dynamic album.