I'm sure Mike, Isamu, and Travis of YOB grow weary of hearing about how massive and difficult-to-top their debut album (2001's "Elaborations of Carbon") is, but they'll get no relief from me. The debut is still my favorite. But the good news is that "The Illusion of Motion" approaches the level of intensity of the debut, and even surpasses it at times.

This album has it all; those signature clean wah-wah intros, the apocalyptic lyrics, the hard-hitting drum fills that call to mind classic SLEEP, the high and low vocals intertwining, etc. All this and much more! The last five minutes of the title track builds into such a huge wall of wailing guitar and crashing drums that you'll think your hearing the sound of a live elephant being slammed through a printing press. The ferocious, staggering riff about halfway though "Doom #2" is also one of this disc's shining moments and ranks next to anything on the debut. And Scheidt's Mustaine-like snarls on the opener "Ball of Molten Lead" help create the most engaging and balls-out heavy track the band has done to date.

So add this one to your list and pick it up. My only criticism would be how bloody serious these guys are. I mean the lyrics are great, with lines like "Burn the bridges to feed the wolves", etc. I guess this means that the boys aren't going to take me up on any of my suggestions for the title to their next album, like "YOB the Rich and Feed the Poor", or "Take This YOB and Shove It". Oh well, at least I can crank this sucka while I'm enjoying my morning bowl of hi-fiber breakfast cereal.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/yobdoom

RELATED ITEMS: YOB interview, 2005