Album Details

• Artist: Various Artist Compilations
• Album: The Power Of The Riff
• Label: Southern Lord
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-08-12

Southern Lord is being quite generous on the eve of five West Coast shows later this month, by offering a huge, FREE slab of a compilation feature a cross-section of the best contemporary underground metal. Named after the series of shows, "The Power of the Riff" would be essential at any price, let alone free.

Well known heavyweights such as Pelican, Eyehategod, Pentagram, Black Cobra and All Pigs Must Die rub spiked shoulders with bands worth learning about like Trap Them, Masakari, Skin Like Iron, ad Harassor. For my money, the best of the lot is the Black Cobra, with an overwhelming "Negative Reversal" and Early Graves' insane "Wraiths." The band destined to be next to vault into the top level, Black Breath, are represented by "Children of the Horn," a track that validates the twenty song compilation's title all by itself.

Seven Sisters of Sleep, Harassor and Noothgrush also hold their own, and Winter would have seemed more appropriate in the middle of the mix; while their "Eternal Frost" is good, as the closer it seems a bit anti-climatic.

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