Messenger of Doom

Vault Dweller's Messenger of Doom is a deliciously grimey slab of crusty groove metal that blends a generous amount of that ol' Sabbath worship with the quick n' dirty thrust of crust punk. Upon the first listen, the raw energy of the lo-fi, oftentimes simple, yet effective, riffs is apparent. The vocals range from high-pitched shrieking cries to a more gutteral grunting. We also get a taste for the band's dedication to pure, ass-kicking fun with tracks like "Thunderdome", which lends itself to a drunken thrashing good time and primarily consists of a group chanting of the lyrics "Two men enter, one man leaves!"

Another prominent characteristic of this recording is the thick, sludgy, and wholly sexy bass lines that give a sense of fullness to this otherwise delightfully distorted tone of the drums and guitar. The riffs are extremely catchy especially in songs such as "Eat and Learn" as well as the title track, "Messenger of Doom" and tend to alternate between a more mid-tempo then crushing punk speed.

On certain releases of this album, the final track is composed of a 22:58 long live recording which is notably fuzzed-out, but makes for a interesting little bonus to the release.

This album comes at a high recommendation for those of you looking for a good old fashioned thrill, a record that beckons you to crack open your cheap beer and fucking mosh.