RAMESSES

After two 7" singles, a split CD with NEGATIVE REACTION, and an enhanced EP on This Dark Reign ("We Will Lead You to Glorious Times"),England's RAMESSES bring you "The Tomb", a 33-minute so-called EP of crusty doom. Once again enlisting the recording (and mixing on three tracks) prowess of Billy Anderson, slow-to-mid tempo churn burners "The Tomb", "Cult of Cyclops", and "Omniversal Horror", and psychedelic blues/feedback beast "Unholy Outburst #3" will leave you covered in ash by album's end.

Ex-ELECTRIC WIZARD members Tim Bagshaw (guitar) and Mark Greening (drums) join ex-SPIRMYARD member Adam Richardson (vocals/bass) in creating these serpentine arrangements. Sticking largely to the style heard on "We Will Lead You to Glorious Times", the approach is doom-hearted, yet the band adds a degree of distinction to its knurled brand of drone. A crumbly guitar tone, crackling drum sound, and Richardson's mostly harsh/sludgy (though varied),expressive vocal style are the key ingredients. Richardson's quasi-growled death vocal parts add texture, as do the moments when he sounds a bit like ENTOMBED's L.G. Petrov, such as on "Omniversal Horror" (the repeated line, "all rise, masters of depression" will send shivers down your spine).

Like all good doom, the quality of the music is determined in large part by the band's ability to convey a certain feeling or create a visceral vibe. Now matter the song RAMESSES' hypnotic grinding approach seeps into the pores. It doesn't take long before the toxins running through the bloodstream produce a kind of euphoric dementia. Fans of past efforts will have no problem jumping headfirst into "The Tomb". Doom fans that crave a dirtier sound and slight twist to the genre would do well to take a chance on this one.