ELEPHANT RIDERS are a Rock trio from the port city of Málaga, Spain. The band have a knack for writing some seriously catchy tunes, but there's more to them for fans to dig than mere accessibility on their debut album, "Supernova."

"Dressed In Black" is as good a place as any to start, not just because it's the first track, but because it helps give the listener a great snapshot of what the band is all about with its rolling grooves and heavy riffs. Their sound is rooted in the Stoner Rock/Metal of bands like KYUSS and THE SWORD, but there are also traces of Alternative elements, from their general angst and grooving tendencies, to the downright ALICE IN CHAINS worship that takes place during the midsection on "Dressed In Black."

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being influenced by heavy bands that know how to write good music, and ELEPHANT RIDERS prove they fall into that group on ensuing numbers like the bluesy dirge, "Animal Eyes" and "Poor Lonely Joe." There's a bit of familiarity to the music, as the band don't go out of their way to write something that sounds really complicated "different," instead letting their diverging interests take care of that for them. This is best exemplified by the late album groove-fest, "Broken Winged Crow." The band's huge guitars and drums are on full display, as are José Carlos González's searing vocals. The song has a faintly Southern edge to it, and the expressive soloing towards its conclusion is like icing on top of the cake for this heavy and incredibly satisfying song. The last track songs included here comprise the "Challenger" EP, a digital-only offering released earlier this year. There isn't much difference between the songs stylistically, so fans of the album should be more than delighted to find more quality material to sink their teeth into.

There's going to be, inevitably, the subset of listeners who dismisses the band for not sounding original enough (Ever check reviews for "The Age of Winters" on Metal-Archives? Yikes.), but ELEPHANT RIDERS don't sound like anyone but themselves on this solid debut, which I'd recommend to anyone who likes heavy, blues-based Rock and Metal.<