Winning the award for the most hard-hitting and punchy bass tone at the very start of an album, Oxford UK’s Desert Storm do nothing but carry on a faithful, tested and clearly successful formula on this, their seventh release. Or have they…
Firmly whacking a heavy iron spike into the ground at the spot marked ‘riff metal’, they form the 9 tracks on ‘Buried Under Weight of Reason’ around some traditional workings and Sabbath-esque song structures. Yet there are some clearly more progressive elements at play here. Opener ‘Newfound Respect’ does little that isn’t clearly stated on the back of the tin, but does lead neatly into ‘Shamanic Echoes’ that begins with a ‘High On Fire meets Boss Keloid for a get-together under a willow tree’ feel, before trudging out into a flurry of Electric Wizard worship.
It’s easy to bung names about when discussing this album – but that’s not because it sounds generic. Far from it. It is because this is a genre of heavy music that is accessible and supremely effective – as long as it’s done right. As you venture into the sheer density of ‘Cut Your Teeth’, ‘Rot to Ruin’ and ‘Dripback’, it’s clear that this is the case here.
Add in the the more trippy, folky and catchy ebbs and flows of ‘Woodsman’ – in which frontman Matt Ryan’s vocals really do excel – as well as the heady closer ‘Twelve Seasons’, and it soon becomes clear that this is the most accomplished and interesting Desert Storm record to date. Whilst 2022’s ‘Omens’ and 2023’s ‘Death Rattle’ did enough to keep heads nodding, there was, maybe, a slight loss of direction in places.
There is none of that here. ‘Buried Under The Weight of Reason’ is a structured, immersive and somewhat stoned affair that buries you, digs you up again, shows you its private collection of ornithological artefacts, and then chucks you back in the hole.
Best Paired With: A black walnut chair, the writings of Aldous Huxley and a bobblehat.
Reviewed by Jaff.
Buried Under The Weight of Reason by Desert Storm is out now on Heavy Psych Sounds.
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