I'm not very familiar with stoner/sludge metal, to be honest. That must not be an obstacle, as I got two EPs from Aldershot, Hamphire's newcomers XII Boar. I start reviewing with the debut release, a four-track EP titled 'XII'.

Here, these three Englishmen sound very, very North American. 'Train Wreck' is a hard-hitting and groovy piece, that immediately brought Alabama Thunderpussy to my mind. It's a fast, driving one, and with some blues rock guitar soloing and slower ending, it's a grabbing song. 'Beg, Borrow, Steal' starts with laid-back blues rock, then enters punching groove, before taking off to a fast part. And then back to slow... The song is one roller coaster ride, and not a very well working as composition. 'Sludge' gives what its title promises. A simplistic instrumental song. 'S.K.O.L.' is the another tempo-varied song, with cowbells and some shred guitar, too. Here, the band reaches their grooviest high on this release. It's a patchy one, no doubt about it, but a goodie, together with the opener.

The delivery is energetic, and makes me wonder, if this was recorded live. So live-like is the vibe and the sound. I mean, there are even these long jam endings to some of the songs. The guitar's got a nasty, rough distortion to it. The bass is loud as hell, but the one thing is too low in the mix, and it's the kick drum. The vocals are semi-shouted through some effect, and do not much vary during the songs.

So, the patchiness of two songs and the familiarity of the riffs (yes, even if my knowledge of their style is weak) are the main things, that prevent 'XII' to shine more than barely. There were better, and way heavier I may add, things to come from XII Boar in 2012...

Rating: 6- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
01/08/2013 15:01