Lavagoat - Monoliths of Mars ...

We often go on and on about underrated bands on this site and here I go again about another one.....Lavagoat from Saskatchewan. With an excellent full-length under their belts, they return almost 2 years later with this EP or is it a demo or is a full-length? I have seen it called all these things but at 44 minutes, it is a full length by my standards. What first grabs your attention is the futuristic landscape that graces the front cover but they also have the sci-fi element in their songs as well. Sounding like something in-between early Cathedral,Electric Wizard and Hawkwind circa 1972, Lavagoat have recorded a captivating album that lives up to the Monoliths of Mars album title. Everything about this release reeks of science fiction, the style, the sounds and even song titles like 'Forge of Vulcan' and 'Galactic Dementia' have that Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke ring to them.

This intergalactic journey takes off with 'Forge of Vulcan' and as the monster riffs unfold this is old school doom metal blended with an even older still space-rock atmosphere. This track is ear candy for the riff lovers everywhere but they either by choice or perhaps accidentally have found a formula that avoids sounding like any one sub-genre. It is sometimes traditional, sometimes death-doom, sometimes a kind of progressive doom rock but one thing is clear, everything about this is HEAVY! There are no passengers going along for the ride on this space-doom juggernaut as even the drumming is crushing in its intensity. Vocals roar and  guitars are dripping with a molasses level of thickness that is irresistibly tasty to the eardrums. The space rock element becomes even more pronounced as the release moves on. The nine minutes of the opening track is matched in power with the following 'Planet of the Dead' which brings some extra melody to the proceedings. The track builds but doesn't take its sweet time in doing so. Unlike some other bands, Lavagoat switch gears and change directions just when it is needed so the songs seem wonderfully constructed.

'Galactic Dementia' is the shortest track at 6:10 but the riffs and grooves hit the senses with such intensity, it might as well be 3 minutes. This is indeed infectious material while staying bone-crushingly heavy at all times but without sacrificing melodies. Just like other space rock guru's of the past, there are odd sci-fi noises and swirling, twisting guitar parts like being in the eye of a musical tornado. Sounds circulate around the listener so this release sounds amazing through surround sound or on a good set of headphones. Anyone thinking that perhaps these songs are a bit too long for their own good won't be amused by the last track however. The title track that brings the release to a close is a 22 minute behemoth, colossal, elephantine, prodigious, titanic, vast beast of an epic track that pulls out all the stops and combines every element the band has and multiplies it by 10. There is nothing during this 22 minutes that takes you by surprise really but it is just one long orgasmic doom fest that makes you drool with delight.

Recommended for fans of Electric Wizard, Cathedral, Orchid, Centurions Ghost and people who like the heavier side of Hawkwind, this is for you. The production is very good but if you want to nitpick, the only downside is it isn't exactly too original but then again, it doesn't exactly sound like anyone else either. I did think that Lavagoat would be pretty big in the underground by now so maybe this will be the one to shoot them up the ladder of doom appreciation. This is highly recommended.....9/10.

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