BEVAR SEA have managed to garner some notable attention since they formed in 2010, mainly off of the back of two demos and their debut, self-titled full length. Now, with their latest record, "Invoke the Bizarre", they look to solidify their sound and establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Stoner Metal scene at large.

The opening number on this record, "Bearded and Bizarre", with rolling drums and confident, thick riffs, is a great way to start this record. It's got a very classic Doom feel about it, with plenty of melancholic parts that sound great and really draw the listener in. Although this song could do with a few more hooks, there's enough great guitar work and vocal prowess here to make this a solid statement on which to open this record. "Bury Me In NOLA" raises the bar significantly, with some excellent, groove-laden guitar lines and the varied vocal lines both being high points on this song in particular. At points, a clear CROWBAR influence comes to the fore, especially vocally. This track is a fitting tribute to the New Orleans Stoner/Sludge scene, and sets a high bar for the rest of the record. "Sleeping Pool" takes a much slower, almost dirge-like approach to speed, and this song lurches forward at a funeral march for the most part. This works really well, and gives this song an overall great sense of heaviness and depth, and allows the band to incorporate a lot of great, interesting musical ideas over a longer period. The leads are sweet and melodious, which contrasts with the crushing and powerful rhythm sections on here. Normally, it's much harder, from a listeners stand point, to get invested in lengthier tracks, but this one has so may great hooks, tones and surprises that it ends up being one of the best tracks on the record. "Where There's Smoke (There's A Pyre)" makes use of some great, melodic and emotive leads, and some great, chunky rhythm sections that make this one of the more enduring tracks on the record in the mind of the listener. "Heathen", although short, stands out from the rest of the record, in the best way possible. It's an incredibly atmospheric song, which heavily utilises acoustic guitar lines and compelling vocal lines. It's a great way to break up the album, and lead the listener into the final track on the record, the heavy and monolithic "The Grand Alignment"; There's a lot of really competent musicianship on display here, with a lot of awesome, groovy guitar lines and juggernaut drumming in particular. It's a suitably grand and hook laden way on which to finish the record.

This album certainly shows a lot of growth in the bands sound and musicianship, and it is a very good record as a result. If I have one major criticism, it's that, at times, this band need to pepper their music a little more liberally with riffs and hooks. This isn't to say that there aren't already a wide array of great hooks on here, it's just that on a couple of the songs on the record, in particular the first, a few more could have turned them from good tracks into great ones. This, however, is only a minor critique, and the vast majority of this record is great, and I'd thoroughly recommend listening to this record if you love Stoner Doom.