THE NECROMANCERS

Servants Of The Salem Girl

RIPPLE MUSIC Gallic proto-metallers observe the Sabbath a little too closely

Every band entering the sludgy netherworld of proto-metal revivalism must ask themselves this: just how much do we want to sound like Sabbath? Bands like Clutch and Orange Goblin have used the trademark Iommi sound as a reference point from which newer sounds would organically evolve. Then there are bands like The Necromancers, whose occult- influenced debut so reverentially evokes the doomy space rock paranoia of Sabbath that you could be forgiven for mistaking this album as an authentic relic of the 70s. Necromancers and Lucifer’s Kin showcase an impressive ability to craft bludgeoning stoner rock riffs while Grand Orbiter simmers with the bad-trip psychedelia and shadowy atmospherics of protometal’s first wave. But by faithfully recreating that sound, they fail to establish a distinct identity and Servants Of The Salem Girl sounds like a whole lot of stuff you’ve heard before. FOR FANS OF: BLACK SABBATH, UNCLE ACID, ORANGE GOBLIN