Pale Divine - Cemetery Earth (2007)

Pale Divine are one of those bands that the phrase "unsung classic" was made for. Having released two albums of glorious psychedelic proto-doom, (with Thunder Perfect Mind remaining a personal favourite) number three Cemetery Earth will no doubt once again be missed by the majority.

All the aspects that make a perfect proto-doom album are present here, heartfelt and well executed. The most important factor here is that it's doomy. It trudges along at a melancholic pace with a booming bottom end and almost tangible fuzz. Sorrowful riffs and mournful leads carry you through on a funeral march of Sabbathian quality. The trademark guitar work of Klein and Diener is out in full force with '(I Alone) The Traveller' serving as the perfect example. Floating in via harmonious distortion it twists and turns through seamless solos, all supported by the gruff tones of Diener. 'Soul Searching' showcases the duo's groovier sensibilities and the typical lengthy title track is Doom 101.

Another Pale Divine album, another slab of doomy perfection. Next time you're about to spin Pentagram's self titled or stick on Holy Mountain for the 1000th time, given Cemetery Earth a try (and track down Thunder Perfect Mind while you're at it).

8/10

Blood Island Raiders - Blood Island Raiders (2007)

Blood Island Raiders are another London band, this time comprised of some well respected members of the local scene. Of particular interest (apart from resident Zakk Wylde lookalike guitarist "The Reverend") is the bassist Pete Theobalds, former (founding) member of Akercocke. Unfortunately this isn't corporate satanic progressive-stoner-doom-death metal. What we do have however, is some fine fist pumping mid-paced metal to smoke, drink and/or drive to.

Essentially its Orange Goblin with a hint of Viking Skull and a touch of The Fucking Champs paying homage to the traditional metal of The Obsessed and Trouble. Kicking off with 'I Am The King' and one of those stoner-tone riffs that it's impossible not to love, it sets you up nicely for the rest of the album. There's more than enough "Woah yeaaaaah! Alriiiiight!" to last you a six-pack and a few joints. You've got your usual crunch-driving riffage, tasteful soloage, Warren's meaty pipes and a groovy bass undercurrent throughout. In the spirit of scene comradery there's even a few guest spots; the epic six plus minutes of 'Rust' features the grindcore turned hippy guitar of Bill Steer, though I'm not entirely sure what Team Brick and MC Disaster Lung contribute.

Neither groundbreaking nor revolutionary, if you want layers of depth and complexity then you're looking in the wrong place - this is a boozy background album. Not something you'll spin often, but enjoyable when you do.

6/10

End Of Level Boss - Inside The Difference Engine (2007)

Self professed (cliché alert) "worshippers of the riff" End Of Level Boss rose from the ashes of Hangnail, and since their inception have made a few ripples in the pond up in London. Touted as one of those stoner rocky doom metalish type bands they actually exhibit few if any of the qualities attributed to either genre. Instead they're a rather odd-beat amalgamation of early 90s heavy alt-rock, Isis/Meshuggah/Cynic riff progression and slight Voivodian discordancy. As intriguing a combination as that sounds, the execution is sadly a little tedious.

The basic formula for each song is essentially the same. A handful of discordant riffs repeated with some variation, complemented by fairly generic gruff vocals, at times dancing between Chris Cornell and Daniel Johns with the odd John Garcia moment. There's a Larry Lalonde style Primus solo thrown in ('Mr Dinosaur Is Lost'), a few quieter moments ('Inskintivitus') and the mostly instrumental 'Words Have No Meaning' comes off like a cross between Meshuggah's 'I' and Kyuss' 'One Inch Man'. All in all, if you've heard one song from the album you've pretty much heard all EOLB have to offer.

Despite the potentially exciting combination of influences and nods to slightly left-field metal bands, it's essentially one of those albums that feels like one long tedious song. Not completely terrible, just decidedly average and mostly unengaging.

5/10