PROGERIA

The love for Black Sabbath united two musicians in Trondheim, Norway back in 1997.Guitarists Jostein Smeby and Tommy Ingebrigtsen shared a common passion for the legendary Doom/Heavy Rock act and decided to put it on a cover band, setting the seeds of what would became Arabs In Aspic.Despite changing name after name (Plastic Fingers, Electric Snowjogs, Pilot) they had a solid rhythm section with Eskil Nyhus on drums and his brother Terje Nyhus on bass.A two-year hiatus would follow when Smeby moved to Lillehammer to become a professional ski-jumper (!), eventually he returned to Trondheim and Arabs In Aspic were officially born in 2002, followed by an EP the next year under the title ''Progeria''.

After a short atmospheric guitar-driven intro with distorted vocals, the band will get in full work with the 8-min. ''Silver storm'', a powerful Retro-styled heavy rocker with some psychedelic guitar playing and tremendous work on organ by the session musician Rune.There are also some background effects and a light jazzy edge on the guitar solos, making the track quite unique.''Shelob's Cave/The Great Shelob/Wizard In White'' follows and this has definitely a doomy atmosphere.Low-tempo rocker with a rather overstretched guitar-based opening before the vocals and heavy guitars enter the scene to make it a bombastic Stoner-Rock piece of music.Organs are again present but less dominant but what really surprises is the powerful rhythm section.Solid drumming and deep bass grooves all the way.The closing 10-min. ''Megalodon'' is more of the same.A psychedelic guitar/vocal-led opening section will lead to the bursting of the electric guitars and organs and this time the sound is really close to early-70's BLACK SABBATH, pure Doom Rock/Proto-Heavy Metal with some good guitar solos and dynamic organ passages, quite interesting but a bit too long and pretentious.

Lacking a bit the impressive songwriting of other bands of this Retro/Heavy Progressive Rock style like BLACK BONZO, Arabs In Aspic step into discography with the correct foot.Dynamic performance, rich sound but also lack of personality result to an album far from highly essential but still warmly recommended.