Formed back in 2008 in Asheville, North Carolina, stoner metal power trio Enoch have just unleashed their debut album entitled The Hierophant for the Russian label RAIG. Comprised of Dave Lynch on guitars and vocals, Charles Howes on drums and synths and Neal Wilson on bass, these three young musicians have crafted a sprawling slab of doom and psych encrusted sludge, that spans out over eight tracks and clocks in at just over an hour.
Right from the thundering, opening cut "Infinity", you can immediately tell that these guys have done their homework and were certainly inspired by the first wave of doom pioneers from the early 70's. Technically speaking it's pretty basic stuff and with no disrespect to Lynch, the vocals are not what I'd consider to be the band's main selling point. What definitely works in their favor, is their ability to pummel the listener into oblivion with a multitude of gargantuan sounding, distorted and often hypnotic guitar riffs, which are layered over-top the pummeling, groove heavy and almost as equally distorted bottom end laid down by Wilson and Howes. There are just a slew of improvised jams for the listener to ingest over the course of this disc and they do a fantastic job of offsetting their uncompromising heaviness by adding in the odd synth textures, or Lynch will on occasion lightly sprinkle the palette with some acid laced solos. The epic title track is a perfect example of just how adept they are at crafting a menacing, drone infused dirge, where both the tension and distortion levels creep ever so slowly into the red. They finally lock into a steady groove and then suddenly it all stops. They tear it all down and start again with even more intensity, as the final ten minutes takes you on an expansive and all encompassing journey, featuring a dizzying array of Lynch's effect laden solos, Wilson's rumbling bass lines and the super human percussion work of Howes. It all comes together seamlessly to form the massive wall of sound that is Enoch.
Framed in the rich, warm glow of analogue, The Hierophant is a top notch effort from beginning to end. If throwback, doom / stoner / metal is your thing, then Enoch is definitely a band you're going to want to check out.
Track Listing
1) Infinity
2) The Fickle Whims of the Almighty
3) Space Wizard
4) Plague Bearer
5) The Hierophant
6) Moth
7) Robbie's Song
8) A Riff Too Far
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
