PETRODRAGONIC APOCALYPSE; OR, DAWN OF ETERNAL NIGHT: AN ANNIHILATION OF PLANET EARTH AND THE BEGINNING OF MERCILESS DAMNATION

Wow. KG have ventured into heavier territory in the past, but this puts it over the top. Granted, it's not a super-heavy guitar tone, so don't expect any black/death/djent vibes here. This is progressive doom metal, for the lack of a better term, with the typical KG quirkiness.

And it's brilliant! I love it.

Tracks:

1. Motor Spirit (4.5 stars): A ferocious opener, setting the tone for the album.

2. Supercell (4.5 stars): Continuing at the same pace. It's really heavy, doom/stoner metal. Very authentic, the band sound as if they've only ever played this kind of music. Then suddenly there are short interuptions, tribal percussion breaks.

3. Converge (4.5 stars): More of the same, but in a good way - the onslaught continues, with slightly different riffs.

4. Witchcraft (5 stars): Quite hypnotic. Less doom, more psychedelic/stoner here. Still heavy as f.ck.

5. Gila Monster (4.5 stars): This gets a little too repetitive, but I can give that a pass since it is sort of the title track.

6. Dragon (5 stars): This is my favorite track, and also arguably the most prog one. Epic and hypnotic, summoning the dragon. Quite psychedelic as well.

7. Flamethrower (5 stars): Starts with maybe the heaviest riff on the album, venturing (almost) into Petrucci territory. A worthy closer, after the heavy start it segues into a fast, driving section interspersed with the same heavy riffing. Love the choruses, the deliberate rhythmic variation of the words "flame thrower" is just the right amount of prog quirkiness.

But the track has a second part, starting with tribal drumming and hypnotic riffs. By the end we're in full Ozric Tentacles mode, combined with deep register throat-singing vocal chants. What a ride!

Originally published at tagyourmusic.org