After putting out a smokin’ Sabbath/Saint Vitus-inspired self-titled record about a year and a half ago, Philly’s High Reeper is already back with album number two. Why get high when you can get higher, bro???
The eight-song, 40-minute effort picks up right where its predecessor left off, with “Eternal Leviathan” serving up a solid slice of Sabbathian doom right off the bat. If you want heavy 70’s riffs, you got it—with a nasally retro-rock vocal (think retro-fuzz worshippers Orgre, or even The Shrine) to match. “Buried Alive” is shorter and a little more up-tempo off the bat, albeit with some slow ‘n heavy breakdowns, while “Bring the Dead” is a jaunty stomp with a couple Pentagram riffs thrown in.
“Apocalypse Hymn” is a Pagan Altar style dark ballad that drags on a little long at 5:39, but they back it up with one of the best pure Vitus doom riffs on the record in “Foggy Drag,” which is definitely one of the highlights. “Obsidian Peaks” also offers up some tasty riffage, before the steady chug (with Wino-esque wails) of “Plague Hag” and heavy crunch of “Barbarian” bring things to a close.
Might hafta listen to ‘em back to back, but I’d say this one’s even better than the debut…
(Heavy Psych Sounds)
