Deadbird

More pummelling, menacing groove metal courtesy of Arkansas’ creepiest dudes, Twilight Ritual continues in the plodding, Neanderthal-ish vein that Deadbird are respected for. Stepping up — or is that slowing down? — a notch from debut effort Head and the Heart, the band sound far more comfortable in letting a particularly gritty riff elongate itself to the point of virtual insanity. And for those already familiar with Deadbird’s debut effort, you all know that’s quite a feat. Broad in its sonic stance, every second of Twilight Ritual feels as though we’re the sun and Saturn is about to swallow us whole. No, it’s not drastically divergent from the groove/doom metal the band established themselves with on their first outing but those looking for this sort of monolithic music don’t want diversity. They just want fucking heavy and Deadbird have more than enough of that.