Come on, admit it: how many of us believed that man-mountain and Grunge legend Tad Doyle was no longer with us?! The most unhealthy-looking of the colossi who bestrode Seattle in the early 90s was nevertheless a commanding figure of the scene, and one of the most quietly admired. Though away for some considerable while, it seems his present outfit Brothers of the Sonic Cloth has been gently simmering for eight years, and this eponymously titled debut album (Neurot) is the first substantial harvest.

The sheer depth and fulminating power of the huge riffs and rhythm section through opener ‘Lava’ is nerve-shredding and, despite a middling pace exposing some old Grunge tendencies, the harsh growls paint a murkier picture. This is reinforced by the funereal rate of the sinister ‘Empires of Dust’; a delightfully morose crawl through the swamps of Sludge, shot-through with a mournful lead which enhances Doyle’s evil croak wonderfully. The opening few minutes of ‘Unnamed’ take us on a varied journey, evocative keys giving way to a monstrous pounding and a nasty, Deathly Doom, Doyle’s growl occasionally evoking Tom G. Warrior. Indeed the overall feel of the track is Triptykon-esque: a swelling, reverberating Stoner groove sandwiched between pulsating, slashing verses and a brutal, industrial coda.

With such a broad range of sub-genres hit already, the only issue here is that the album can’t seem to make its mind up where to go. ‘La Mano Poderosa’ is an at times ponderous bundle through Crowbar country, powerful and crunching yet uneventful; while the emotive, ominous, gently throbbing ‘I Am’ is a crushing depiction of Pearl Jam‘s more subtle moments, Doyle retching and screaming in anguish. The bonus track ‘The Immutable Path’ is an Om-style incantation, quietly rumbling drums and atmospheres combatting the threatening vocal, intoned like a spectral Orson Welles – it’s a spooky sound as Doyle has grown to bear more than a passing resemblance to the acting titan.

Overall this is an intense experience, an album full of resonating weight and passion, and more direction would have turned it into an utter rip-snorter. Welcome back Tad.

7.5/10

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth on Facebook

PAUL QUINN