Belzebong - Alchemist 2010 Demo

It seems that the Polish doom / stoner rock scene is exploding at the moment, I have heard more Polish bands in the last year than I have heard in my entire life so there is something happening and it is mostly all very good. Looking at the band's name, "Belzebong" and the artwork that comes with it puts you in familiar territory and you would be guessing about now they are in the mold of Electric Wizard, Sleep and Bongzilla and you are right, no big surprises there so their sound and style could be considered an outdated formula but it really comes down to the riffs and Belzebong have the riffs and lots of them that will make you put down the bong and take notice. Also without a doubt Belzebong are the most stonerized of the band I have heard from Poland in the last year as their sound oozes with hazy, smokey riffage. You know the formula here, riffs, samples, more riffs, solo's, more samples and more riffs and all delivered in a bottom-heavy, fuzz-drenched fashion.

So are the riffs any good ? Yes, indeed they are, they are totally crushing, psychedelic and full of infectious chugging grooves. The closest reference point is Bongzilla as they have the same repetitive nail the riff home kind of attitude. It is also instrumental apart from the samples so this pure unadulterated doom riff rock and nothing less. The band does have a unique element that comes in the almost bizarre psychedelic tinkering lead work that sounds positively trippy. There is just two tracks on this demo, the first being "Bong Thrower" which is all based around monolithic, drugged up riffing that builds up a hypnotic vibe and seems to get even heavier the longer it plays. It is the most straight-forward of the two as it is the most instrumental with the least sampled vocal effects while the other riff-fest titled "Names Of The Devil" has a sick vocal sample that is totally demented, I have no idea what this deranged passage is all about but it is mesmerizing. Their sound is killer with a warm, deeper than deep bass heavy fuzz and the band are very tight when they lock into their solid grooves. The news is their debut album has been mixed and mastered and will be released early next year on CD and vinyl so that could be one of the weed-metal albums of 2011 and if you like that artwork, it is available on a shirt, check their Myspace for details. For fans of Bongzilla, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Stonehelm, Witchsorrow and of course the mightly weed.................8/10
Belzebong @ Myspace