Ever wondered how true western Doom sounds? Well, this band called SONORAN REBEL BLACK MAGICK says this debut album of theirs is exactly about that. The album title is how I described it - "True Western Doom". Apparently, true western Doom includes acoustics and lazy over-engineered vocals. And it appears, this 8-track album is designed to torture your brain.

I'll go straight from here - this album is very tough to appreciate. And it is not difficult to understand why. While the title says it's western and doom, it's only the former that was proven true. While it has some doom touches, it's not really purely doom. It has some dark passages and certain evil ambience in it but it doesn't fulfill the elements needed for it to be called Doom. In fact, it has tons more Country and Electronic elements in it than Doom or Metal. The chops are too minimalist and repetitive; the instrumentals are not so dense but it occupies nearly 85% of the album. The vocal lines aren't so pleasing either, that's why it is not a surprise if this album bores a listener. Also, the contradiction provided by the Electronic elements doesn't make it more decent. They sounded like DEPECHE MODE in the last two tracks. When I say that, I mean they sounded like a really tired, uninspired and bored DEPECHE MODE. And even if it only consumes 35 minutes of your time, it feels like a never ending sonic torture. I don't see any point in the music at all, let alone the lyrics. In spite of its awkward production, it doesn't sound original either as it borrows some Black Metal chops from ZEAL AND ARDOR.

So, if you still want to give in to its catchy album title and equally catchy album art, the gamble is yours. Dark Country music is a growing thing, but this album tried so hard to be one that it fails miserably in the end.