Formed in 2012, LOWBURN is a Finnish Metal band that describes themselves as "4 old geezers rocking their balls off", and that's exactly what they're accomplishing on their 2019 Argonauta release, "Phantasm". The release is the band's follow-up to their "Sleeping Giant" EP and previous full-length, "Doomsayer". Their sound is hard to pin down, but for our purposes lets go with Doom with more than a smidgen of Groove. One thing for sure, it's heavy.

But, it's also melodic, bluesy and full of crushing riffs. Mykkänen and Lintunen's dual fret attack comes at you slung and tuned low, with Vesikko's bass runs snaking in and out of any available territory. Through it all, Vahvanen pounds away seeming oblivious, like thunder to the strung lightning. "Rocking their balls off" indeed. The band credits influences ranging from the usual, SABBATH, and BLUE CHEER to peers such as SLEEP and CATHEDRAL and you can pick up on all that and more, What makes this different from your typical Doom/Stoner sound is the aggressive vocals guitarist Tomi Mykkänen is also laying down. That's where other influences such as MONSTER MAGNET and ACID KING come in. It's a nice blend of clean growls throughout that really accentuate the music rather than distract.

Immediately I was captivated by track 3& 4, "Cloud Valley" and "Walking On Thirds" Essentially two songs joined at the hip, they both were instant highlights that I returned to. Everything is on point with these two. The Groove metal feel, the Doom, and the riffs. Speaking of riffs, the closing breakdown riff in "Cloud Valley" is spectacular. Truth is, I enjoyed every track. "Urban Funk Campaign" and the closing "Hypnopomp" were also highlights worth a mention. The production sounds fabulous with all instruments leveled in well with a full rich feel. My only critique would be the guitar effects at times on solos. I couldn't help but think of it sounding like a kazoo at times. The solo on "My Doom Dealer" being a primary example. But, overlooking that minor thought, "Phantasm" is a fine solid release. I look forward to hearing more from LOWBURN in the future.