It has been ever since their debut album not all that long ago that Spaceslug has become a damn near integral band for the realm of anything related to stoner metal or rock with every new album from them displaying something that the previous one did not in grand detail and immense talent that’s continuously entertaining from all angles. After an impressive four-way split earlier this year, Spaceslug refused to make 2019 their first year without any substantial new material as it’s with their latest EP that they deliver nothing we haven’t come to expect from them before.

I mean it in every single aspect when I claim that Spaceslug has become a key part in the modern scene of anything stoner as their sound has come to influence many while clearly drawing inspiration from several past titans of the style to make Spaceslug one of the front-runners of this latest wave of stoner music that has been gracing us for some years now. While I would’ve preferred a full-length album as opposed to an EP since there’d be more excellence to go around, there’s no sense in looking a gift horse in the mouth especially from the likes of Spaceslug who, as you might imagine, only furthered their great reputation with “Reign of the Orion”. Virtually everything about what’s thrown down here is everything that this band has ever put forth at this point but with so much more potency and flavor somehow, and I couldn’t even begin to fathom where they pulled out even more talent to throw our way. Such a phenomenon should no go questioned, only enjoyed, as works like “Reign of the Orion” continuously show us just by the end of the first track alone as to why exactly this band has become as revered as they have at this point with only more glory to be had as they progress as one massive unit whose power cannot be denied. I’ve never come across a single soul who would dare to say that Spaceslug didn’t live up to their reputation or didn’t bring naught but excellence to the modern landscape of stoner music, and it better not be with “Reign of the Orion” that it begins for this work is no less than worthy to be put into the annals of this band’s already outstanding discography.

Alongside with Solace’s “The Brink”, I can’t help but seeing this relatively surprise release as what’s likely to be the last great stop for stoner music this year, and it’s not hard at all to see why as soon as you see it’s Spaceslug that’s delivering the goods yet again. Right from the beginning, “Reign of the Orion” lives up to its predecessors in grand fashion that’s as deliciously psychedelic as it is satisfyingly heavy in every way.

LISTEN to “Reign of the Orion” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Spaceslug on Facebook here.