I recently realized I'm a doom metal fan, there's something about going low, slow and dirty that is just so freaking heavy. PALE DIVINE has nailed it down, and by adding what I perceive as a touch of old school blues keep out of the rut that too many bands fall into, simple and repetitive music. From the opening riff in "Spinning Wheel" it's obvious the Greg Diener and Dana Ortt have a good working chemistry (they play together in another band called BEEZLEFUZZ) and mix it up when finding the main groove. Gregs vocals are strong and clear, with a good growl added when appropriate. "Bleeding Soul" opens with a great guitar solo, but bassist Ron "Fezzy" McGinnis shows he means business by playing something completely different than the main guitar riff, filling out the song in a way that most bass players would miss.

The Sabbath-esc feel in the opening of "So Low" continues through out the song including the tempo changes that occur halfway through, but it still has a unique feel, making the style more a tribute to an influence than a straight up rip off aka Greta Van Fleet style. I also must make note that Darin McClosky's free flowing jazz influenced style drumming is truly shining in the solo section. To me, the song that shines a light on the capabilities and chemistry of this 20+ year collaboration is "Silver Tongues". The main riff is fast and technical, but still comes off as slow and heavy, a feat hard to pull off.

"Ship of Fools" is another shining light, with a blues/jazz free form feel to it but still very structured. I can almost get a southern rock feel with early Brit metal added for that banging touch. Over all the CD  is very well composed with songs that are interesting and never leave you bored. Each member knows his part and is capable of fully integrating it in with the others in the band. Pale Divine is doom metal that can and should be played at your next event, even if your country loving uncle shows up because even he can hear the talent and groove that is coming out of the speakers.