I got my first taste of UK power trio JOSIAH in 2005, at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Suddenly it didn't matter anymore that I was too young to have seen BUDGIE in their heyday. Here was a young band that had that old groovin' hard rock sound down pat. Their latest record "No Time" doesn't disappoint. Album opener "Looking At The Mountain" is an OK tune but it's the title track that follows that really kickstarts the album with its relentless cowbell groove. Now although there are some fun up-tempo tracks JOSIAH are at their best when they slow things down a bit. On "The Dark" with its smooth background vocals they even come pretty close to MOUNTAIN/MASTERS OF REALITY-territory. The best track overall is the 10 minute long "Harvester Of Lies" which combines a cool mid-tempo stoner shuffle, slower parts and some great NWOBHM-esque riffery.

It's not a perfect album. The aforementioned opening track and the punky "Time To Kill" aren't bad but pretty small beer compared with the groove monsters that make up the rest of the album. So all in all a pretty good old fashioned hard rock record but I have the feeling that these British cousins of OGRE haven't fully realized their potential yet. This album is merely 'good', given the time to develop the next one could be great. I will follow these guys closely from now on. Highly recommended if you like any of the bands mentioned above.

- Van Hoften

OFFICIAL SITE: www.josiahrock.co.uk

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