Pure filth done right. Atolah are an instrumental doom trio from Australia that will thrill fans of Sleep, Electric Wizard, etc with their suzzed out negativity. Even better is that it seems like these guys may have a sense of humor. The first song “Dead Leg” starts off with a hilarious sample of someone with a fancy British accent confessing to murder. It’s a great way to start off a record and a great intro to a REALLY heavy song. “Dead Leg” sets the tone for the rest of the EP – slow, dark, brooding, pulverizing.
The title track slows things down even further. Pierre’s Rickenbacker bass is very dirty but has a nice snap to it, almost venturing into Killdozer territory at time. According to the bands myspace page JB pounds the drums on the EP but the current drummer is Leeroy. Either way, the beat crawls but maintains a nice slaveship rhythm. Zaheer’s guitar is completely distorted and sounds like he’s playing through a wall of fuzzboxes and all the batteries are about to die.
“Drown It Or Leave It” and “El Duce” are the longest songs, around 7 minutes each but don’t outstay their welcome. The riffs are strong and the playing is solid so the lack of vocals isn’t a big problem. It would be cool to hear someone with a good Ozzy wail moan on top of some of the jams. The standout song has to be “Weedy Gonzales,” and not just because of the excellent title. This one has a little extra pummel to it that will really get your noggin rockin.
If super heavy stoner doom is your bag, then pick up a copy of Relics and show these creeps some support.
--Mighty High
Buy here: Relics
http://www.myspace.com/atolah