Curse of the White Widow

"Eat beer, shit riffs", says bassist and bile-gargler, Shane Carmichael, on typical Hoopsnake composition*. And what an apt analogy! Hoopsnake's sound hasn't changed since their debut LP, which smeared BC's doom scene back in 2011, meaning they still sound like boozy, catchy stoner metal that's been chewed up and shat out by an inebriated, gargantuan Cryptobeast.

Curse of the White Widow is every bit as odious and filth-caked as you'd expect from Hoopsnake, but is presented in an easily digestible and punchy fashion. The songs are generally shorter and slightly faster than those from the debut, and the run-time clocks in at just over 22 minutes, so I guess you'd call it an EP, but the overall potency is bound to still make you feel more than a little lightheaded. Opener, "White Widow", is the shortest track Hoopsnake have so far defecated, at just under four minutes, and it totally sounds like something you could almost get away with putting on at your buddy's kegger, alongside boozier numbers from Reverend Bizarre or Trouble, if it just weren't for the fucking vocals. Hoopsnake vocals, which are shared between guitarist, Dave, and bassist, Shane, are essentially the most disgusting vocals imaginable, and render the band's music inappropriate for anyone not already familiar with the more extreme end of doom's spectrum. All the better if you can handle it, though, since endlessly catchy riffs coupled with monstrous shrieks and gurgles is exactly what I look for in bands of this rare and filthy breed.

"Lightspeed Traveler" is the longest track on the release and is probably the one that sounds most similar to the LP. Generally moving along at a pace contradictory to its name, we're treated to the typical trade-off vocals over slow riffage, though the faster section near the end is my favourite bit. "Ratagator" is the best track on the album; its opening riff is so immediately infectious, it makes me want to crush full cans of Lucky Lager against my forehead and the foreheads of anyone near me. The song slows down for weird, meandering guitarwork, but always finds its way back into a blind frenzy of booze-fueled madness. Closing the release is a cover of Willie Dixon's traditional blues song, "Spoonfull", which is given the full Hoopsnake treatment, and thus made all but completely unrecognizable to its original form. Its mid-pace and monotonously pounding main riff make it a rockin' closer, and if you're not privy to the fact it's a cover, then it's just another solid turd from the Snake.

Though still virtually unheard of, Hoopsnake is one of my favourite bands out of the recent batch that have sprung up to form BC's doom/stoner/sludge scene, which is currently led by Funeral Circle, but which also includes worthy bands such as Weirding, Azodanum, Black Wizard, and Mendozza. Hoopsnake is the most extreme beast of the lot, so if that's what you're into, then roll up a number and raise your horns.

*Interview source: http://www.notyourscene.ca/interview-hoopsnake/