BLACK SABBATH fan or not, listen in on modern Heavy Rock stalwarts MOS GENERATOR, who are soon to release their latest full-length in their respectable discography. Aptly described by journalists as a fusion between Soul and Doom, the SABBATH influences are rife within this rocking and jiving 3-piece band from Washington, with vocals that strangely remind me of KING'S X.

"Beyond the Whip" has a very strong classic Heavy Metal vibe to it, straight from the annals of BLACK SABBATH and Di'Anno-era IRON MAIDEN. The music is thick, chunky and growling, and Tony performs a solid and powerful baritone delivery. The constant drive of the rhythm arrangements subtly dip down in tempo from time to time, but always climb up a jagged cliff, only to topple off again, like a series of beating waves. "Nothing Left but Night" was a perfect choice to follow, with riffs very deep-seated in catchy, but heavy grooves; a little PANTERA here, perhaps? Surely enough, the droning groove picks up to more aggressive speeds with creative ramp-ups and crescendos.

"Neon Nightmare" is a dirge-paced, Doom-and-gloom shamble through a SABBATH-ian soundscape, with heavily warped chord progressions and guitar-keyboard melodies. The mixing allows for the simplicity of the riffs to convey a different kind of heavy; one that weighs on your head and shoulders and grooves you into a daydream. In a dramatic, sonic turn of events, the band arrives in the realm of hazy Stoner / Doom with "Black Magic Mirror"; if the song title doesn't already give that away. The fuzz on the bass and guitars is on full-blast with the drums providing more of a subatomic, rhythmic pulse, underlying the hypnotic vocal delivery. In fact, the entire track is hypnotic.

MOS GENERATOR, at least on this album, were a hard band to get into, but I was eventually able to appreciate the songwriting. Getting past the basic, rudimentary classic Heavy Metal jive, I noticed a smart, evolutionary trajectory down the tracklist, as if the songs were riding a long a gradient.