If anyone has been wondering what ACID KING might sound like with more balls, or craving an EYEHATEGOD disc with less meandering, this is for you. The runes on the cover bring to mind a less-paganized version of VOMITUS in presentation (if you heard the VOMITUS demo and split single then you know how crushing those non-cross lickers could be). I'm fascinated by this sort of stuff since they chose not to lean on ye olde Satan for inspiration. 3 tracks into the 4 we have and it's still kicking my ass. I am a fan! Imagine that! A good review from me?

Now, don't get me wrong. This ain't sludge where you could take a walk down the block before they change chords. This moves fairly swiftly in a minimalist-yet-devastating way. I would not be shocked to find that these cats are ex-punks who got hipped to punishing 3rd wave sludge before digging backwards. It's a deep crushing groove that wrenches everything out of the tune before you get sick of the riffs. The constant Cookie Monster vocals are a bit much, making me wish for more of the Nico-styled vocals. The song titles are a mystery. I assume "Norge" means black if I assume right. "Troll" seems self explanatory but tracks 3 & 4 aren't in English.

Regardless, I would recommend this to anyone who likes their doom as heavy as possible, and for those who like records festooned with runes to admire between bong hits. I I love this shit man. The riffs remind me of the end of "Black Diamond" from KISS as it slows down in increments. This is a lot more direct but it gives that feel. The live track includes some flutters in the tape and muffled vocals, but is still well-recorded overall. Highly recommended.

- Two Tub Tony

OFFICIAL SITE: www.southernlord.com/band_THR.php

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