BONGRIPPER "Satan Worshipping Doom" CD

Let me preface this by saying that instrumental doom, in any of its various incarnations, is not always the easiest thing to pull off. A lot of bands in the genre get away with making utterly boring and lifeless music, doing nothing to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. But when a band tackles this genre and does it well -- I mean really well -- it can be some of the most powerful and crushing shit you can subject your ears too.

That's where Chicago's Bongripper enters the picture. Since the band's inception in 2005, these guys have been all over the map experimenting with all that is heavy. Their monolithic debut full-length The Great Barrier Reefer is still one of my all-time favorite sludgy doom albums and the perfect record to rock while passing around the blunt (or bong, as the case may be). And since that album's release in 2006, these guys have been very busy.

Just a year after their debut, they released the cleverly titled fan favorite Hippie Killer. The band then went on to explore a different angle with an all drone/noise album simply titled Heroin (perhaps the best packaging ever), which was followed up in 2008 with Hate Ashbury, an album that attempted to mix the crushing groove and doom sound of their early releases with the spaciness and dirt of their noise material.

Now, after five years of experimenting and refining their sound, Bongripper is back with a double LP that captures all of the band's strengths, without any of the fat. From the downtrodden and sluggish riffage to the more textured and effects-laden ambient sounds -- SATAN WORSHIPPING DOOM incorporates the very best that Bongripper has to offer, with everything in its right place.

Tracklist:
01. Hail
02. Satan
03. Worship
04. Doom