Right from the off, "Adayoff", the new album by Stoner Metal group PALM DESERT is heavy, doomy and incredibly melodious. Mixing thick, fuzz-drenched guitar riffs with a swampy bluesiness which adds an extra layer of depth to the tracks means that this Polish five piece offer something a little bit more thoughtful.

This album's gloriously thick and heavy sound kicks in right from the opening guitar of the first track, thick chords and fuzzy distorted melodies create a dusty and heavy sound. The tempos of this track are largely on the slow side, with the drums kicking up a huge, monolithic noise which keeps the music incredibly weighty. Long instrumental passages which are largely devoid of overly technical flourishes help keep the songs going, especially the 9.00 epic "Dusty", which features some interesting layering of the instruments and quite a few changes in riffs. The vocalist Wojciech's gruff, often reverb-drenched vocals lend a deeper sense of atmosphere, mixing heavier styles with some very blues based phrasing.

This album is deeply entrenched in stoner, fuzz rock, and the classic early metal influences are there in the open for all to see. Having said all this, while the songs are all great examples of this style and full of emotion and really ballsy grit, there is nothing here that hasn't been done before. The entire album is band smack in the middle of the idiom, with only a few moments where originality shines through (The track "End of the Certain" is an example of something different- almost an acoustic folk dance). Where these moments do come, there is definitely something to this group that could push them to a higher plane, but they do not allow themselves to explore and expand enough on them.

This is a strong release, full of hairy, dusty energy, but it somehow lacks anything extra to make it fantastic. Still worth a few listens though.