There's a saying in professional wrestling parlance that goes something like, "...and then the bell rang." It gets applied when talking about a wrestler who otherwise has it all: a killer and/or monster physique, skills for talking on the microphone, and a fitting gimmick if they need it. But, as it occurred for many, all of that goes for naught when they get in the ring and it becomes clear that the one thing they forgot to learn was how to wrestle.

Even pros can have days like that, but the very best among them figure out what they're doing and end up having a great match anyways. In the thunderdome of Heavy Metal, one band which has experienced as much in their growing pains is COSMIC REAPER, whose self-titled debut album, like the band itself, is a sneaky Carolina pepper, coming on slow at first before burning out of control.

The album starts broodingly fuzzy on "Hellion", like early ELECTRIC WIZARD, but like them, they similarly lose an edge in the vocals. "Heaven's Gate" doesn't help things along, seeming to stumble with somewhat sloppy play here and there, getting by on sheer momentum created from genuine heaviness.

Then "Stellar Death" rolls in like an old ORANGE GOBLIN track, containing all the staples of the Sludgy/Stoner/Doom Metal mixture. There's a little break in the middle with "Wasteland I", a cumbersome instrumental in the same vein (no pun intended) as DOWN, but as if they weren't considered a supergroup.

"Wasteland II" is not so much a sequel to the track before it, coming off as more like a classic BUFFALO song, and it is here when the vocals finally find the groove they were searching for earlier; the band really blooms on this track and it's a no-brainer addition to the 2021 Playlist.

"Planet Eater" continues on with the tune before, beginning like a hastened "Dopesmoker" and that's appropriate considering this is the album's heavyweight at nine and a half minutes. The album ends at a walking pace with "Infrasonic", not their best showcase until the last couple minutes at least, but still a good epilogue track which ends on a shunt rather than a fade.

So, all things considered this is not a terrible effort for a debut. "Cosmic Reaper" dashes out of the gate and needs a few moments to discover its own feet but once it finds them, it takes slow and easy strides to the finish line. It may not take the race, but it may earn a spot on this month's podium.

Still, when it takes half the album to get off the ground, you might consider giving it bigger wings; the engines are powerful enough, now they just need to all fire at the same time. The album, despite its flaws, is still a powerful if somewhat wobbly machine. COSMIC REAPER has the potential to craft a great follow-up for album two if they'll just let themselves make it.