Lair of the Minotaur

Do you enjoy being trampled to a bloody, formless mush track by blistering track? Did you find Mastodon’s Leviathan to be over-hyped and underachieving? In either case, or preferably both, The Ultimate Destroyer is the record for you. Bolstered by an uncompromising, raw as a festering gunshot wound production, Lair of the Minotaur are, quite simply, not fucking around. Combining the best elements of groove thrash, sludge and grimy Southern rock for one unfathomably punishing assault on the ears, there is not a second of wasted tape on this recording — single-minded it may be, but Jesus, is it ever heavy. Although Pelican skinsman Larry Herweg mans the kit, expect no introspective or psychedelic influence to pierce through this raging beast’s calloused hide. The album, as if to confirm just how serious the band are about setting a new standard for punishment, is dedicated to metal. Look for this on an overwhelming amount of top ten lists come December — it is quite difficult to raise a finger or argue against such a threatening, confrontational release.