Agonhymn - Doom Jazz (2007)

Sadly, this isn't an interpretation of Bitches Brew done in the style of Reverend Bizarre. Instead we have another fairly run of the mill drone-doom album of the "one long track broken into parts" variety. It's not all doom and gloom though; it appears as if half-way through the recording process, aside from "chucking a few shrimps on the barbie", Byrne and Brewer sat down
for a nice bong.

The first quarter of the song/first three parts of the album follow the usual drone template. Sporadic crunching guitar accompanied by drumming thats heavy on the crash and easy on the tempo. Come 'Doom Jazz Part 4' however, and you may be forgiven for thinking that Bongzilla have crept into the album playlist. It still plods along at barely walking pace, but is pulled along by a suffocating groove. '...Part 5' ups the ante again, with clean strumming leading into some altogether more frenetic riffing and '...Part 6' drops us back into Stonerville with the introduction of some Dixie/Muleboy style barbed wire gargling vocalizations. By the closing part however, I'd stopped paying attention and started skinning up.

The minimalist nature of drone-doom makes it a difficult genre to really stand out in. If you were sitting on the fence with regards to this style of music, Doom Jazz isn't going to knock you off. However, the more patient and/or drug riddled among you may glean some enjoyment out of it.

5/10

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