Labels: Svart
Review by: Alex Deller
That name, eh? Somewhere between awful and incredible. Bog Oak! Anyway, I thought this lot were going to play some sludgy, trudgy, ultra slow-mo stuff. And I was wrong. They’re actually quite rambunctious, with rather a lot of pep to their doomified metal. That’s not to say that they aren’t heavy, though, the band lolloping gleefully along with some smashing riffs and a sound that could almost be likened to Graves At Sea on a Motörhead kick. Amid the slug-and-pummel of it all creep some wispier ethereal bits, and while I’m not much of a one for all this witchy shit doing the rounds (Blood Ceremony, The Devil’s Blood, all that old toss) Bog Oak’s ability to seamlessly work these elements into a heavier context rather than come off like lame-o Wicker Man lite pays off nicely. There are only four tracks here and each one satisfies in terms of heaviness, hooks and variety. This makes for some pretty hearty stuff, and if they can maintain this alchemical balance over the course of an album I’d say there could be some pretty fine days ahead.