Though their Halloween cartoon imagery might evince instant thoughts of gothic punks
the Misfits, that is but one small dimension of the
Doomriders package, the bulk qualifying simply as stoner rock -- albeit stoner rock infused with lacerated metalcore vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and, yes, a little good-humored punk rock belligerence behind their lyrics. In fact, listeners will probably find the Massachusetts quartet (spearheaded by
Converge and
Old Man Gloom man Nate Newton) at its best when frothing at the mouth and ripping up the joint via frenzied outbursts like "Deathbox," "Worthless," or "Listen Up!!," which tellingly requires only the words "Get off my f*cking back!" repeated ad nausea to deliver one of the album's most infectious scream-alongs. Sometimes equally amusing, though not often as inspiring, are mini-doom stompers like "Fuck This Shit," the slow-building, Southern-flavored instrumental "Voice of Fire," and the closing, inescapably advancing "Sirens." But it may well be the hybrid likes of the title cut, "The Long Walk," as well as, once again, the all-purpose "Listen Up!!" that wind up determining
Doomriders' unique contribution to posterity: the special ingredient of using dual-lead guitar harmonies for a sound that has seen them described not inaccurately as
Entombed jamming with
Thin Lizzy. Should this obvious side project ever record a second opus, and, more importantly, get serious about their long-term intentions, smart money is on that latter facet of their musical mix to help them stand out from the pack. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia