Desert scene in England? Well, Nottingham, England based stoner/sludge rocking Widows state, that they belong to one. Influenced by bands such as Kyuss, Corrosion Of Conformity and Goatsnake, I would also bet, that Alabama Thunderpussy style Deep South sounding bands belong into Widows' list of influences. Okay, Desert Scene is a promotion group dedicated to "all that is down-tuned and fuzzed out."

Wonderfully titled 'Raise the Monolith' is the band's debut release. 'The Kiss of Failure' is a hellraisin' brawler, that is too sturdy to be knocked down, just throwing punches with savage power. It has a softer spot in finger-twisting melodic part, but still it is invincible, and a truly metal-up-yer-arse ending where Iron Maiden goes stoner. 'Fuck-Knuckle' is quite a laid-back, if powerful, rocker with some Danzig-ish singing. Again, some nice nimble-fingered, melodic riffage is heard; stoner version of Megadeth, anyone?! 'Whores of Babylon' go from jolly vibes to heavy-as-fuck grooving, never giving any breather to a listener. 'Drowned in Chains' descends into fiery pits of hell with its unbelievably heavy bass and chunky guitar playing from the Tony Iommi school of riffing.

Generally, while there are familiar riffs abound, the band have crafted songs that include more turns than your average rock song. The aforementioned faster guitar playing is something I haven't heard in this kind of music before, as I recall. This works both for and against the music, but gladly more towards "for". 'Drowned in Chains' differs a lot from the preceding three songs, bringing in some required variety. Pounding drums and lively 'n' loud bass add a very bulky backbone to Kyuss-like guitar tone. Bellowing, reverbed voice is at times cleaner and reminding of Glenn Danzig, the other times distorted almost like Napalm Death's Barney Greenway's. Overally, the sound is vibrating yet still fathomable enough.

'Raise the Monolith' is an interesting take on stoner/sludge rock/metal. It brings in some fresh blood into the scene with massive power in performance. Now let's see if Widows can give us an interesting full-length platter, because really I wanted some more of something during these 17 or so minutes.

Rating: 7- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
06/29/2011 19:06