Things don't always go according to plan - it happens. Call it Murphy's Law or plain misfortune, but even when approached with the best intentions, some things have a habit of going up shit's creek.

The reason for my pondering of serendipity's often fickle nature comes from the simple reality that when making an album, a given band can start off with the most genuine, passionate of purposes only to end up stranded in the middle of the proverbial creek with no paddle in sight. Call it production oversight, lack of direction, or just a pure absence of mojo, but even an album that seems good, is often leaping way past the mark. Now, I shall not say that Swedish Stone Rock trio's EARTH MESSIAH's debut offering "Ouroboros" is an outright failure - it certainly isn't - but the band could sure have used a few more four-leafed clovers on their side.

Opening up with its instrumental title-track, "Ouroboros" shows promise if not excitement for what's to come. The intro/jam piece has that ambient, other-worldly air to it that intrigues and penetrates. With a Neil Young-meets-the-Mohave-desert-in-a-Cadillac vibe, it made me feel like I was in for a deep, esoteric treat.

Unfortunately that is when things go sideways. Much to one's chagrin, "Ouborous" then completely abandons the atmosphere and sonic tones of the title track in favour of middle-of-the-road Punk-clad Stoner Rock. "Escape From Reality" barges in with a Bluesy, distortion-shrouded shuffle that does manage to stand out due to its Punkish edge, but nonetheless merely irritates as a follow-up to the beautiful intro.

EARTH MESSIAH further pursue these inclinations of a stoned anarchist on tracks like "In the Darkness", which pretty much follows the formula without adding much else to the pot. Nevertheless, the band do appear quite competent on songs like "Attention" and "Always Remember", where the influence of outfits like CORROSION OF CONFORMITY take over and ground the grooves with formidable riffing and attitude.

The production however, is what truly makes this record a painful experience. The tone of the guitars is horrendous; I understand the intention behind chasing a fuzz-driven distortion sound that is commonplace to this genre, but the bottom-heavy, gravel-sounding, crackling mess that comes out of the amps on this record just drowns everything around it. The vocals too find themselves to be rather low and underwhelming within the mix, and simply become an accompaniment themselves instead of standing at the forefront.

Yet the main problem that underlies this album is its lack of focus. EARTH MESSIAH seem to be a band who are at conflict with themselves and their musical direction. The album continuously fails to find stability within one given genre. And whilst an amalgamation of influences can often be seen as a redeeming quality, on "Ouroboros" it simply makes a statement of uncertainty. As the band pinball between the airy intro, the Stoner Rock riffing, and even some 80's-inspired sounds (as heard in "Trouble Child") the listener just becomes lost in miscomprehension.

The only other time - besides the 'opener' - where the band redeem themselves is on "I Am" - a southern, rootsy DOWN/COC underling that packs enough melody and feel to stand out from this crowd of brutes.

Overall - better luck next time, I guess. EARTH MESSIAH's debut is not awful, but it is messy and somewhat incoherent. Granted, one may not expect a record like "Ouroboros" to be philosophically altering, but it can always sound much better than this.

Songwritng: 6