The world of doom metal to me is very much like the world of black metal in that the sheer diversity in sound is truly something to behold and get lost in. Classic acts like Crowbar and new phenomenons like Conan have certainly piqued my interest in my time with doom, but I often find that it’s the much, much smaller acts that make the albums that I find myself enjoying far more. Take the likes of Lotek Cruiser for example. You could sit here and argue that this five-piece out of Canada sounds like a middle ground between the two aforementioned names and I wouldn’t say you’re far off, but there’s something in this record that I simply find far more enjoyable.

Now, if you’re expecting me to sit here and tell you just what exactly it is about this record that makes Lotek Cruiser so exquisite for me you’re going to be disappointed because I don’t even know exactly what that thing even is. Perhaps its the use of one of many tried and true formulas of doom being used excellently yet again here or maybe it’s just hearing a fresh act doing something that’s straight up good in every form. Either way, no matter how you look at it, Lotek Cruiser fucking slays with their first full-length album. It’s often an upfront approach that becomes the most potent as we see here with Lotek Cruiser not doing anything super fancy but instead leaves the talking to their delicious riffs, fantastic musicianship that graces this entire effort, and engaging heaviness that constantly rears its head to bring us a listen that’s immensely satisfying from beginning to end. Each and every track that Lotek Cruiser throws our way has plenty of room to breathe with these ten tracks clocking a little under 50 minutes to make it a solidly paced listen that’s jock full of brilliant twists and turns that’s undoubtedly to tickle the fancy of many a doom fan who would be fortunate enough to discover this fantastic little nugget of heaviness that’s more than worth investigation.

It will never get old to see bands come out of seemingly nowhere and see them create new music that we can really delve into as it’s the sort of thing we’ve been hearing for years yet the quality is far from stagnant in any sort of form. Lotek Cruiser brilliantly comes together to create something that’s all but intoxicating and it’s with each track that we’re sucked further into the great realm that this act has made seemingly with ease, and I’ve no doubt it’s sure to only get better with time.

LISTEN to “Lotek Cruiser” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Lotek Cruiser on Facebook here.

FOLLOW Lotek Cruiser on Twitter: @LotekCruiser