Rooted in late 1960s psych/pre-metal, the band takes elements of Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, and even Shocking Blue/Blue Cheer and presents the song through a thoroughly modern filter, incorporating elements of the Black Keys and Wolfmother as well as modern doom bands such as Electric Wizard. What you get is a delicious concoction of raw and warm sounding recordings, which were apparently recorded using vintage equipment . First up is "I'll Cut You Down". The riff is huge, and the influence of Tony Iommi and company can absolutely be heard. But Uncle Acid himself steers away from the vocal style of Ozzy, adopting an almost Alice Cooper like vocal style, a Vincent Price-esque near falsetto. Fans of guttural vocals might find Uncle Acid's vocals a bit soft, but I think they are perfect for the songs. In case, "I'll Cut You Down" has a great swagger, basically a great piece of doom-tinged blues about getting back at a woman who has severely mistreated people, a classic revenge song. "Death's Door" is a revelation. Geezer Butler-like bass comes from Dean Millar, and it sounds awesome, very intricate. The riff is very Sabbath, but also bearing elements of earlier bands such as Cream and even the Doors. However, the lyrical content is obviously much darker, appearing to be about the classic "doom metal" topic of the execution of witches. At 7 minutes, you would think the song drags on, but alas, I never felt a moment of boredom. Some very nice solos fill out the song, and I particularly like the solid drumming of Thomas Mowforth. A great song, the best doom metal song I have heard in years.
"Over and Over Again" unleashes another "Sabbathian" riff. The song instantly reminds me of "Wolfmother", but obviously containing more proverbial "balls". Another song about burning witches, the album could certainly be seen as having an over-arching theme of witch-craft. Strangely poppy for a song about burning witches, it shows what makes Uncle Acid such a different kind of doom band. They are able to write songs that don't immediately alienate the listener, as so many other incredibly slow and plodding doom bands often do, they are dark and gloomy, but like Sabbath before them, able to incorporate elements of popular music. A great f-ing song. "Curse In The Trees" slows the music down, quite a lot. Like the song "Black Sabbath", a slow and doomy riff opens the song. The song then speeds up, heading into a bluesy-jam, a la "Hand of Doom". A great vibe, but I do have one caveat about this song, and the album in general. It is often hard to discern what Uncle Acid is saying, the vocals are somewhat buried in the mix and covered in effects. No matter, a great song.
"13 Candles" is the most Sabbath-like song on the album. The riff approaches "Iommian" mastery, a wonderful slab of metallic glory. Uncle Acid briefly reminds of Ozzy here, and this is my favorite vocal on the album. The song concerns black magic, and like a good horror movie, is pretty creepy, easily giving Geezer Butler and company a run for their money in terms of the lyrical depth. A great song, and enough for me to consider the band to be the true heirs to Sabbath's throne. Long live the new kings of doom! "Ritual Knife" is more modern, more like 80s doom bands such as Candlemass. The drumming is phenomenal, but the song middles about too much for me. The solo is very competent, but one of the weaker songs on the album, structurally speaking. "Withered Hand Of Evil" is a very cool song, featuring a Mellotron and a crushing riff. Like Sabbath before them, the song concerns Lucifer and the tricks he employs to gain minions here on earth. But like Sabbath before them, I find the song to be more of a warning than something evil, but I guess you can interpret it in your own way. In any case, the song is epic, one of the best song I have heard in a long while. I love the keyboards, they add a depth that many song in doom metal lack. "Down To The Fire" ends the album with an acoustic song. A tale of a lost and wicked soul, it tells of someone who has no hope of salvation, and has condemned themselves through their wicked ways. Flutes are present on the song, a cool nod to Tony Iommi and his flute work with Sabbath.
"Blood Lust" is a great album. Very heavy and dark, but for fans of doom metal and Black Sabbath, you will likely find much to like. I look forward to what this band has to offer in the future. As the sun will soon likely set on the mighty Sabbath, the world will certainly need a band to fill the massive hole that one day will sink our hearts, and I think we may have found it.
Rating-9/10
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