Ah, “Occult Rock”. The most oversaturated strand of the already dripping sponge of Doom, featuring some of the most generic, over-promoted bands in recent history. Chuck in a ‘Master Of Reality’ logo font, some boobies and a pentagram on the cover, and I wasn’t overly enthused going into Spiritual Relics (Soulseller), Bloody Hammers’ second LP.
But 2 minutes into the driving, fuzzy, happy-doom of ‘What’s Haunting You?’ and its COC meets Type O Negative rock and I was smiling. By the end of the acoustic, downbeat melancholia of closer ‘Science Fiction’ I was grinning and nodding. Here is a band capable of producing that oh-so lost art of SONGS! Not for Bloody Hammers the 8 minute, 3 riff borefest, or the ‘Blood On Satan’s Claw’ twangy kitschness of their contemporaries. No, Spiritual Relics is good, simple Occult Fuzz with more than a touch of Desert about it, drawing as much on Fu Manchu as Hammer Horror. The clever touches of Devillia’s organ (now, now) change the stoner ethic and add a twist to the cocktail, for example enhancing the Trouble-esque ‘Flesh Of The Lotus’ with a B-movie soundtrack feel. Meanwhile Anders Manga’s strong, clear vocals carry choruses such as the excellent ‘The Source’, which reminds of Hammers Of Misfortune’s masterpiece The Grain, providing catchiness without descending into overt poppiness.
Not every track is a killer, ‘Shiver’ and ‘Path Of Sorrows’ pass by in mid-paced stupor, but when the fuzzed out anthem ‘Night Of The Long Knives’, the creepy ‘The Transit Begins’ or the Southern Gothic Type O–Kyuss stomp of ‘At The Well of Nazareth’ do their thing so well, it’s easy to see Bloody Hammers rising above the Occult Rock mire to establish themselves as a genuine, successful rock band. And, really, there’s nothing wrong with having boobies and a pentagram on an album cover.
7.5/10
Steve Tovey