Tipped in these pages for massive things this year, Wigan’s Boss Keloid have certainly lived up to their potential with their magnificently named and thunderously heavy Herb Your Enthusiasm.
Forged at Skyhammer Studios, the same place that birthed efforts from similarly minded riff-wielders Conan and Electric Wizard, and sharpened up onstage – they exclusively played only new material live during the build up to its creation – album number two is an absolute monster.
Continuing their penchant for straddling subgenres, Herb… is a more dynamic, melodic and, in places, meaner offering compared to their debut The Calming Influence Of Teeth; sludge, stoner, doom, prog and psych fans will find much to love on the 10-track opus.
The sprawling Lung Mountain and the complex, jazz-informed, nine-minute epic that is Hot Priest are standouts, and there are some welcome surprises too in the form of the sinister, bass-driven Cone, which sounds like Faith No More throwing down with Clutch in their jam room.
