What's up, Metal maniacs? I'm here once again to give you an insight on this Swedish, Stoner quintet known as: MANGROVE, signed via Transubstans Records.

Right off the bat; one will notice MANGROVE's main attraction - the fact that the reminiscence of Ozzy Osbourne is clearly aforementioned in the vocals of Jani Kataja. Jani's vocals on this influential movement is an astonishing, and surprising display of talent; it really shows that with enough training and practice, one can perform like their favourite artists – with just enough willpower, it could possibly happen. Either that, or it's just my imaginative opinion running wild!

But with that said...MANGROVE isn't just your BLACK SABBATH wannabe band; they are a grand display of showmanship of how a Stoner group should sound like. With also Doomy elements; thumping power from Jani's bass, Fredrik Brogvist's drums and Magnus Jernström on guitars, this is quite simply a powerhouse who have an insatiable appetite for a powerful kick in their music.

With that said; "The Gambler" is a prime example of the above so far, introducing a fine - metallic slab of steel, MANGROVE unleash a very retro sound to the likes of BLACK SABBATH which already had me going with a pounding groove; as a fan of BLACK SABBATH, aren't we all? I approve of this approach. "Different Pages (of Life)" features a similar belter...MANGROVE has produced a trademark production; not only influencing themselves with the 70s legends, but partaking an original sense with original song ideas, and fusing that with a vibe that any Metal fan should be familiar with. "Into The Light" and the titular track: "Days of the Wicked" familiarise some similar traits with some very nice Doomy elements which just really suit this line of atmospheric intended purposes. I feel this is no opinion; it's evidently factual at this point, that the band's intentions were to have a modern BLACK SABBATHy style which is not always a bad thing; we need more acts like this that are willing to keep the legendary sound alive as the greats won't always be around forever. But trying not to mention "obvious band" over and over...let's focus on MANGROVE shall we?

At the half way point of the album; "Mangronaut", "Demonspirit" and "Drift Away" tend to slow things down a bit, which showcase the band's bluesy side and psychedelic rock intrigues I've been mentioning, while keeping the Doomy and Hard Rock/Metal values in absolute check. I can't forget to mention the epic, "In The Shade", which contributes a fine but solid instrumental track with a minute-long outro of atmospheric proportions that also defines the word: epic. We have here a band that not only wants to keep the legend alive but have the musical integrity of influential and showmanship qualities.

I can only give props to MANGROVE for this attempt. I don't mean to bring up BLACK SABBATH over and over, this reason was to give you an insight on what to expect if you fancy something new. Sound production is spot on; blended with memorability, originality and success.

So with that said and done – give "Days of the Wicked" a go for yourself; it's a truly entertaining record that kicks major arse in the long run. Full of anthem-like melodies and fun instrumentation; one can't go wrong with this here record.<