Yidhra : " Cult Of Bathory"

As the end of the year best of lists loom over me I am leaving no stoner unturned in my search for what is truly the best this year had to offer. From the opening riff there is not a lot to separate this band from countless other Sabbath worshippers , the throaty vocals bellow much like a less soul infused version of Clutch. They have a bit of sonic weight during the jammy solo section, but does this make the song ? The groove to "Iron Mountain" is a little more convincing , it also holds shadows of Kyuss to it's desert plodding. The song really breaks out of the genre's confines when it wanders out on a more progressive ledge midway into the song. Their is some impressive atmospheric guitar playing that is still blues based. The drummer also has a little more room to shine when not encumbered by the weight of having to be heavy. Honest music comes natural and nothing is more awkward is some one trying to play heavy stuff when that is not in their soul. The heavier playing is more effective given this breathing room so it has more of a kick when they blare back into it.

"The Adversary" starts of with this looser jam feel. The vocals show vast improvement when they are more sun than put in the throatier tone. Their singer is not convinced of this as the song goes back and forth between the two during the verses. I am not sure their hearts are really into the doom thing as this eps best moment is also its most up tempo on "Reign of Terror". The vocals once again fight the urge to go back into the throaty belting. So heavy stoner rock might be the best way to brand this sort of thing. They do slow down into a really powerful riff at the songs midway point, but if you are a regular reader you know that what qualifies a band as being doom in our books here isn't how slow you play but how woeful the mood you create is . Does it invoke a mournful or sorrowful response? The answer here is no...but I can see wanting to fire up the bong to it for sure. In the final moments things get darker and more intense with the building chug, but not doomy.

This album improves as it moves along, if you like your stoner room with some jammy doom leanings then this album is worth your time. The first song was just ok didn't really do a helluva lot for me and the vocals can be hit or miss for me so I'll give this one a 7, if you are looking for something new and mediocre vocals aren't that big of a deal breaker for you then pack a bowl and saddle up to this one.