Elks

Elks' mini-saga, Destined for the Sun, immediately brings to mind the rough-and-ready sludge popularized by Bison B.C. and Black Tusk, combined with some of the more blatantly old-school-leaning influences of the Sword and Saviours. In other words, this Brooklyn, NY outfit are playing a style very much de rigueur, which wouldn't be a problem were it not that the majority of the aforementioned bands, despite being worthy adherents to the style, are hardly groundbreaking. Elks do pack a sizable punch with their heavily triplet-based grooves and no frills riff writing, as seen in the opening of the title track. However, the fact that the most memorable aspect of this album is its (admittedly cool) space Viking sci-fi concept leaves much to be desired. One must cut them some slack, however, given that this is their first release and hope that by the next one substance is raised above a style that, at least for the moment, is just a little too derivative.