Hailing from the east of Germany, Thuringia to be precise, and purveyors of psychedelic doom are Motorowl. Their new album Atlas follows in the footsteps of their 2016 debut Om Generator (both on Century Media Records): metal with fuzzy guitars, doom-laden riffs, meandering, sometimes spacey, sometimes carnivalesque, keyboards and a thick sense of melancholy.

The atmospheric mix of psychedelic, almost progressive, breakdowns and hard-hitting riffs is finely balanced. First track ‘Infinite Logbook’ gets things off to a flyer, a rocker with a vintage 1970s feel to it, sounding like a gloomier Dio era Rainbow with woozy keyboards added over the top. This same mix of mournful heaviness and Uriah Heep-esque keyboards is present in the atmospheric and hefty guitars of ‘The Man Who Rules the World’.

This album has a potently sombre and moody atmosphere that can be off-putting on the first few listens. Give it time and you will penetrate its thick aura and be rewarded with a finely tuned forty-five-minute emotional journey. ‘To Give’ is the best example of this, a slow and evocative start soon grows into a dark, metallic powerhouse with a wonderfully melodic yet progressive passage midway. The next track ‘To Take’ is of the same ilk, with thick wall of doom-ridden guitars and keyboards throughout and a growing sense of rage towards the end.

It is not the kind of record you go to when you need some energy, or a little pick me up – you slowly drink it in, letting it wash over you. ‘Cargo’ has a nice sprinkling of piano, adding to its power and urgency. Like ‘Spiritual Healing’ from their debut, Atlas ends with another long song – the quirkily titled ‘Norma Jean’; a slightly too long slice of creepy, Black Sabbath.

Atlas is an album which rewards patience with a great serving of heaviness with a rich vein of darkness and melancholy at its core.

7.0/10

THOMAS THROWER