November Doom - Saint Karloff : "Paleolithic War Crimes"

This band from Norway has been cranking it out since 2015, so, surprisingly, I have yet to cover them, but here we go. They are on the super fuzzed-out retro side of things. The opening track falls more along the blundering boogie bombast of Sabbath. The riffing is super Sabbath-influenced. The vocals are belted out from a huskier chest register so ow little to Ozzy or Dio. However, they lapse at times into passages that are higher with more effects on them which come closer to Ozzy's territory.  The second song owes more to Deep Purple than Sabbath. With galloping keyboards that also bring Uriah Heap to mind, though the vocals merely get the job done and refrain from soaring into the kind of vocal gymnastics those bands employ.

They prove they have progressive chops, though vocals are the band's weak spot.  There is a two-minute "Planet Caravan" like instrumental that is merely an interlude so I will not count it when it comes to the purpose of this review. "Bone Cave Escape" picks up the pace and owes more to modern bands like Queens of the Stonege or Atomic Bitch Wax. The mood is more straightforward, so it does not appeal to me as the darker less rock n roll moments. The guitar solo section has an almost Motorhead-like feel. Halfway in things transition into more of a groove that works better for me. The singer tries to wail into his upper register which carries a more choked desperation. 

The vocals improve with the more strummed prog folk of "Nothing to Come" which carries more of a Jethro Tull vibe. I know some people are going to dislike pointing out the influences of this band, but when you are pulling from past sounds and making them new there is no escaping the debt owed to the inspiration. Midway they shift gears to a more in-your-face brand of 70s rock. The lumber of "Death Has No Mercy" finds them pushing proto-metal in a more metallic direction. There is also an ample dose of blues in the mix. The song builds in momentum until it reaches full rock density. The last song finds the vocals sung with a smoothed refinement. They continue to lean into this proggier side of the band which plays to their strengths. I will give this album an 8.5, it was enjoyable and places these guys firmly on my radar , if you like stoner prog rock they should be on yours as well.