From the city of dreaming spires – Oxford – via some spit-stained, whiskey-soaked, hog-wild Texas roadhouse, this fried five-piece (not to be confused with at least three other Desert Storms out there) offer stomping, stoner metal on their second album.
Think Clutch and Kyuss with a bit of weed-era Orange Goblin and Corrosion Of Conformity. Although openers Word To The Wise Man and Shadow Of An Eagle have a by-the-numbers feel about them, the album gets heavier, more expansive and more interesting as it rolls on. _ _
Astral Planes and No Slave To Master – a sludgy ode to the holy herb complete with bong ‘solo’ – begin to shift the balance towards the darker, Pantera-on-Valium vibe that dominates the rest of the record. Aside from the change of pace offered by semi-acoustic number Gaia, it’s thunder and earthquakes all the way. Horizontal Life is too long, but it packs a powerful punch.
