By Greg Northrup

            Wow, what a day.   No sooner did I get a new stereo system as a high school graduation present than what to my delighted eyes did appear in the mail, but the new Las Cruces album!   Thus, I got inaugurate my new system with some massive chunks of excellent Texan doom, and was totally floored.

         Take one part Kyuss, two parts Black Sabbath, a pinch of The Obsessed and a whole heap of Texan cajones and you'll have a good idea of Las Cruces monstrously heavy sound.  Riffs positively ooze from the speakers, burying you with sheer and undeniable density.  The vocals are in a traditional heavy metal style, and carry some effective melodies to complement the immensity of their backdrop.

        Most of the songs are slow to midtempo, chugging along in an swirl of unfathomable condemnation.  Misery and ecstasy are juxtaposed with fascinating results.  Songs like "Killer Kane", which pick up the tempo, add some diversity to the album, and replace resignation with sheer aggression.  Acoustic guitars are used sparingly, but work very well so I'm surprised they weren't used more.

        Overall, a classic chunk of 90's doom metal.   One of the best.  Turn it up, zone out, get depressed and drift into realms of "blower heavy doom".  Wallow in it's weight.