Dusted Angel-Earth sick mind

2010

I first heard this band a year ago with the release of their Thorn EP and right away they made an instant impact on me. My only complaint was that I wanted more and couldn't wait for them to put out a full length. Now my wish has been granted. The general musical direction is stoner rock, but there splashes of doom, space rock and just heavy gritty pieces woven throughout. Think a mix of early Trouble, early High on fire, Helmet and some others. What drew my attention in first was the band's ability to pull you into their world without beating you over the head. They construct each song like getting a fire going, they start it slow and build it and before you know it this gigantic force in front of you. There is a definite laid back quality to much of the music. Not to the extent of being lazy, but rather a confident yet relaxed feel is present throughout almost every track. Dusted Angel also have a firm grasp on how squeeze and manipulate emotions out of their music. That's a real talent because anyone can play slow or play heavy, but to rally utilize that slabs of heavy, molten sounds to control and influence feelings is what seperates great stoner/doom metal from mere good stoner/doom metal. Obviously Dusted Angel have that touch and this whole album was a wild ride that took my senses out into and down a pit of fire and back again. "Earth sick mind" has been one of the few albums of 2010 that has been every thing I hoped it would be.