Of all the various forms of Doom Metal there are out there, Desert Rock is perhaps not one of the most over-looked. And, apart from Stoner music, it's perhaps the one kind of Doom/Hard Rock that is most synonymous with drugs, most notably the hallucinogenic kinds. BANTORIAK's debut full length is a tribute to both this music and the substances that inspired it, and is an impressive statement of intent from a band that has only been around for a relatively short period. They stand out like a sore thumb from the vast swathe of Technical Death Metal bands that are dominating the mainstream Italian Metal scene at the moment, and along with bands like CARONTE and DOOMRAISER are starting to crave out a reputation within their home nation, putting its burgeoning Doom/Stoner scene on the Metal map.

The albums opening track, "Entering the Temple", is an intensely atmospheric experience, coupled with some brilliant, hair-raising chanted vocal lines that sound amazing. It's a short, yet great way to kick this album off. The first full track on this record, "Lysergic Tantra", which acts as one of the albums lead singles, and, as the title suggests, a love letter to LSD, is a slow track which completely summarises what Desert Rock should sound like; plenty of great riffs, tonnes of distortion and some genuinely epic vocal parts. This isn't the sort of music that you jump around and go insane to, more, it's the sort of track that you'd enjoy on a hot summers day with a few beers, and maybe some other, less than legal substances. It brings the listener into an almost trance like state, to the point where you are almost transfixed by the music, before being shaken out of it when the song ends.

"Try To Sleep", the albums second single, is rooted strongly in the Stoner Doom sound, with thick, droning guitars and rhythmic drumming. The vocals on this song are again very serene, and fit very well with some of the cleaner guitar tones that are used on here. Then we come to "Hidden Number Two", a song that is steeped in Ambience, and is very reminiscent of some elements of bands like HAWKWIND. Towards the end, it gives way to a nice, mellow piece of music consisting of fantastic guitar hooks and mesmerising drum parts. The album's penultimate track, "Smoke the Magma" is a song that slowly builds into a bona-fide tune. It's a classic, chilled out Desert Rock song with a cool riff, and some excellent drumming. All this is cloaked in amongst a heavy atmosphere and some more of those brilliant vocals. And then we come to the albums final song, "Chant of Stones", a song built around a slow riff and pulsing drums, and some eerie vocals. The sounds gets deeper and more layered as time passes, with heavier guitar tones and more prominent atmospherics and ambience, which really help to beef out this already substantial song.

This album, at just over twenty-seven minutes long, is a fantastic debut record, firmly rooted in a classic sound whilst showing signs of interesting experimentation into newer, more exciting territories. This is a band that, with an album like this, could very well make some huge waves within the Italian Metal scene. Watch this space; there's plenty more great music where this came from.