Son of Jor-El / Erik Larson

This odd little coupling could be summed up as a match made both in heaven and in hell. On one hand, there is the underground super band Son Of Jor-El who stand on the more extreme fringe of thrashing sludge, and on the other is Erik Larson, the cigarette toting, bearded prognosticator of Southern rocking and occasionally psychedelic themes. Although both share a common thread of writing riff happy music that emphasizes the muddiest possible guitar sounds with the heaviest bass presence and a loose drum mix, they may as well be night and day within their common world.

To further add some quirkiness to the mix, the Son Of Jor-El song found on here seems to be going for a more traditional doom flavor, which brings it closer to Larson’s world in spite of the clear separation in vocal styles. The riff work on “Bow Before The Blood Lord” is a clear nod to the creepier brand of Sabbath riffing heard on their debut album, though in a more concentrated format in keeping with Saint Vitus’ take on their work, and loaded with about twice as much fuzzy mud. “Cat Nap” is a little more upbeat just by virtue of Larson’s cleaner and tuneful voice, but it carries a somewhat menacing dissonance from one bluesy riff to the next, and coasts at a slightly faster tempo to the song it shares space with on here.

Although somewhat of an odd grouping, this is one where both songs can appeal equally to both audiences, barring some hostility to barked vocals in the Larson camp. Just picture yourself rowing a canoe through the bayou while listening to “Cat Nap” with mosquitoes buzzing around you, and then picture it suddenly morphing into the blood red river Styx with Charon manning the boat while the cries of suffering souls fills the black night sky when the other song is on. It’s a pretty huge contrast, but one that isn’t beyond most who listen to one of these two styles.