There's really no bigger 'feel good' story in all of heavy metal than the tale of US underground doom legends Pentagram. Though they've been around since the early '70s and influenced a ton of heavy bands in the process, numerous line-up changes, sporadic recordings, and drug addiction have more than a few times nearly doomed the group for good. In recent years, lead vocalist & founder Bobby Liebling cleaned up his act and got sober, re-united with guitarist Victor Griffin, and put together a new, lethal version of the band along with bassist Greg Turley and drummer Pete Campbell. Their 2011 comeback with Last Rites was just the beginning, but it's on Curious Volume that all their hard work these last few years really seem to have come to fruition. Quite simply, this is THE doom/'70s styled hard rock album of the year.
Honestly, Liebling hasn't sounded this good in decades, and paired up with monster guitarist Griffin yet again brings forth the true Pentagram sound. Mammoth riffing can be found on killer cuts like "Dead Bury Dead" and "Lay Down and Die", but there's also some cool early punk/biker vibes that remind of the MC5 or Stooges on tracks like "Earth Flight", "Misunderstood", and "Walk Alone", which add a different element to parts of the album. Of course, most come to a Pentagram album for those slow, dark, and menacing doom flavors, and that's the meat & potatoes of Curious Volume, starting with the lumbering title track, complete with Griffin's massive guitar dirge and Bobby's sinister vocal, or the brontosaurus stomp that is "Close the Casket". Another winner is "Devil's Playground", a tune that wouldn't sound out of place as the soundtrack to your next haunted house expedition, and both "The Tempter Push" and "Because I Made It" rock nice and heavy just like '70s styled hard rock should, and the amount of groove to tracks like these just cannot be denied.
The production values for Curious Volume are quite strong, perhaps a tad too polished for those who are used to the mossy, dust encrusted and raw sound of some of the early Pentagram recordings, but I kind of like this massive sounding, crisp Pentagram for a change, and I'm happy that they've been able to record an album that sounds this professional and big. Curious Volume is easily one of the best releases of 2015, so what are you waiting for, go out and get this now!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01. Lay Down And Die
02. The Tempter Push
03. Dead Bury Dead
04. Earth Flight
05. Walk Alone
06. Curious Volume
07. Misunderstood
08. Close The Casket
09. Sufferin'
10. Devil's Playground
11. Because I Made It
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