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Considering that Riotgod was formed by psychedelic stoner rockers Monster Magnet’s bassist Jim Baglino and drummer Bob Pantella, it’s to be expected that stoner influences would seep into their second album, but, surprisingly, Riotgod’s sounds are more clean and classic than spacey and sludgy.

Mark Sunshine’s vocals at times resemble Robert Plant, and the catchy, classic-sounding guitar solo in Firebrand harks back to a day of rock gone by; they even slip into folksy territories with the acoustic Gas Station Roses.

There is a strong undercurrent of grunge running through the spine of this album, with Fool and Slow Death boasting Alice In Chains-style rusty grooves.

There’s nothing new or ground-breaking here, but their sound is a hybrid of genres culminating in catchy, grungy blues-rock, and will therefore appeal to a multitude of rock fans.

Hannah May Kilroy has been writing about music professionally for over a decade, covering everything from extreme metal to country. She was deputy editor at Prog magazine for over five years, and previously worked on the editorial teams at Terrorizer and Kerrang!. She currently works as the production editor for The Art Newspaper, and also writes for the Guardian, Classic Rock and Metal Hammer.