When Iowan trio Druids‘ EP Spirit Compass (Self-release) hit my ears sixteen months ago, I was staggered by the apparent ease with which the bandmelded the darkness of Sabbath and the violence of Mastodon with the joyous, Summery Grunge of Blind Melon. It made for a heady mix and new offering Monument (The Company) promises the same excitement amid a paradoxically heavy flexibility.
The jangling Desert strains of opener ‘New Breath’ give way to a delightful, Red Fang-tasting romp, its heavy yet Prog-drenched rhythms the perfect underpin for Luke Rauch‘s dry yet melodic vocal. Eastern-tinged, Trad Metal leadwork increases the inventive texture but maintains an emotional connection, while the earthy harmonies grow from caveman chants to fulminating yells in a pulverising coda.
‘Iron Healer’ retains that harsh feel and adds a monumental groove, but blends this with Hippy-vibed bridges that wrap the serrated edges in a Psychedelic glove. Again the rhythm section could anchor a rampaging rhino: Rauch’s fuzzing riff riding the back of brother Drew‘s warm plunks and Keith Rich‘s resonant drums. ‘Mirrors of Trigon’ is a slow-burning colossus, Drew’s bassline a high-profile, thrumming undercurrent for some indolent yet ominous harmonies. The track explodes in a ‘March of the Fire Ants’-like bluster while maintaining a tunefulness that sounds as if ZZ Top are undertaking a top-rate cover of said Mastodon classic. Luke’s guitar work here is spellbinding, switching from bludgeoning riff to spark-shooting solos and back again, the whole an enlivening piece of passion and weight.
The powering speed of ‘The Whip’ again focusses on the band’s more savage aspects, yet a lush second half is full of smoking melody and perfectly displays the trio’s basis in traditional Heavy Metal. Closer ‘Shivast’ also showcases the varying talents to the full: riffs slashing and buzzing beneath a crushing medley of filthy growls and dark harmony while the battering rhythm section dazzles with its intricacy. Druids are a meaningful yet entertaining proposition, mixing downright headbanging noise with delightfully leaden twists, and they’ve done the business again here.
7 / 10
PAUL QUINN