Mighty Nimbus

Minnesota’s the Mighty Nimbus formed in 2002 when Sixty Watt Shaman’s Pete Campbell and Alabama Thunderpussy’s Erik Larson, then on tour together, tossed around the idea of getting down(-tuned) and dirty to make some dastardly doom metal. With SWS main man Dan Soren on vox and Pete’s brother Andy on drums, the results are worlds apart from the ghastly "moonshine metal” of their day jobs — though the tuneage is still imperfect. Opener "Everything I See” sounds much like a doomier Entombed, and it’s no surprise that they were signed to Entombed’s Swedish label, Threeman. "I’ll Never Weep” follows with scads of Sabbath worship that amplifies with "Broken Hoof” and its High On Fire tack. But it’s not until the fourth cut, "Drinkin’ on a Pile of Skulls,” that the band hits their stride: Soren replicates a very drunk Phil Anselmo while the band pounds out lead-footed doom like a Cathedral redux circa 2001’s Endtyme. "Fenrir” balances the album halfway through as a short instrumental with acoustic guitar and piano, much like similar moments from old My Dying Bride. "Raising The Mammoth” is thrashier doom like a Big Iron and Las Cruces collaboration. "Sacrament of the Sick,” the album’s highlight, plods along like syrupy Obituary, while "Eclipse” could be a Crowbar rip-off. Included is a bonus track, a numbing cover of Saint Vitus’ "Born Too Late” (the title track from their 1986 opus) as a reminder of their purpose. With such heavy intentions, the Mighty Nimbus will hopefully crank out a better sophomore effort without a slapdash, derivative feel to it.