Javelina

Ever since its release in 1972, metal bands have been striving to duplicate, or even approach, the beastly, monolithic riffs of Black Sabbath's Volume IV. With its raggedy distortion and generally imposing atmosphere, it's a pretty inspired chunk of doom. Some have come close but after coming into direct contact with Beasts Among Sheep, a lot of those other contenders fall by the wayside. While it truly sounds nothing like its 37-year-old precursor, the mood and confident prowess that Beasts Among Sheep convey are what establish it in such lofty company. More raging than thrashy, while still quite capable of buckling down for a droning groove, this conspiracy of doom and stoner metal is what happens when one offsets the previously mentioned inspiration with a drastic overdose of Eyehategod's dogged, barbaric rage and Buzzov*en's overt brutality. Brawny and disgruntled, yet incorporating almost black metal-ish shrieks, Beasts Among Sheep is intimidating yet engrossing.