This Texas band continues to show the influence Ghost is casting on the sound of bands that want to reach a larger audience in the doom sub-genre, as it's the second or third time I have heard a band using this kind of vocal production, particularly in the doubling of vocals. This band has more going on for them, like the great trippy guitar tones and the stoner-minded lyrics, so they are not ready to dress up likea bunch of popes just yet. If you are into guitar solos, they can rip them out like champs. The second song offers more of a Blue Öyster Cultish groove. However, in emulating Ghost vocally, things have too much of a pop brightness to them. If they said they were actually trying to sound more like Haunt, I would believe them, but even that band has adopted almost too much slickness to their sound.
The most Tony Iommi-influenced guitar solo so far occurs on "Spell Speaker," which is jammed out with a more earnest pursuit of the intended mood. Granted, the bright vocal tone takes away from the overall vibe, but I at least like the direction they are trying to go. "Holy Guide" has the bombast of "Hole in the Sky". The harmonized vocals begin to feel tedious at this point. "Rat Bastard' starts off as borderline cock rock before going into the darkest section yet and back into the cock rock, proving the rule of 'cool riffs alone does not a good song make."
The Sleeping Prophet" finds them back in a more sugary melodic spot, sounding like you know who. The last song is well done for what they do, but not a huge departure from the formula they use, perhaps more deliberate when it comes to rocking out. At the end of the day, this album sounds good and has some great guitar playing, but it follows a trend I am not a fan of. A will give it an 8 fair enough score that places it on the very polished and proficient side of things, even if it is not what I am into.
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