Food

Injecting a decidedly artistic mentality into the boogie/stoner rock movement, Richmond, VA's Food create five pieces of odd, intriguing metal on this eponymous EP. Rhythmically influenced by High On Fire and Mastodon yet allowing the song structures and unusual inflections of the Melvins to pop into their tunes, each song is an enduring, albeit long-winded, shot of upbeat groove offset by grinding passages and thick verses that eventually deconstruct into Sabbath-y chug riffs. Surprisingly, the band's humane vocal approach relies more on impassioned screams than bellowing grunts, which offers a palatable side and unique attack overall. That said, Food could stand to cut a few sonic calories. Not only do some tracks become tiring with their continual shifts between tempos and so on but with the shortest track clocking in at over five minutes and most ranging around nine, this EP lasts longer than some bands' full-lengths. Brevity would give this album much more impact.