(Electric Valley Records 2022)
Texas has always been known for its (underground) heavy rock bands with a strong 70's psych twist.
In addition to the great '13 Floor Elevators' bands like 'Wo Fat', 'Duel', 'Crypt Trip', 'Warlung' and 'Mothership' come to mind... and PETH follow this line with their amazimg debut "Merchant of Death".
I usually avoid comparing new bands to Black Sabbath, but here it fits like a glove.
So the album kicks off with 'Dwarvanaught' which sounds like a Sabbath/Medusa homage and slowly evolves into an absolute Proto-Metal beast with a slight Thrash Metal side.
'Amok' and 'Let Evil In' reminds me of the very early Alice Cooper weirdness and brings the band's occult-psychedelic side with mezmerizing guitar solos, reverbed-out vocals and pounding drums. Especially 'Amok' grabs you with its driving groove, surprises after the first song and shows that PETH don't play it safe, but dare to experiment and keep the album exciting.
One of the highlights of the album is the next Song 'Abolish The Overaseer' with fuzzed-up proto-metal, great vocals, screams and stunnin' twin-guitars. The song is one of the best I've heard in this genre in the last few months!
What the guitar fraction delivers here is really great!
"Stoned Wizard", "Merchant of Death" and last but not least "Karmic Debt" make every Pentagram and Sabbath fan (Ozzy and Dio Era) sigh with joy, sound like they were recorded 50 years ago and leave no doubt about it that this band are not a flash in the pan in the tangle of current psychedelic vintage bands.
The four Texans completely convinces with their own songs, so the cover of Wicked Lady's Run The Night could have been left out, but it fits seamlessly into the album and is a nice gimmick.
Galaxy Black / White Vinyl via Electric Valley Records
-Helge Neumann
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