STEAK is a Psychedelic Stoner/Desert Rock ensemble from London, UK with a sound so gritty and groovy that at times I was wondering if I was listening to some bastard creation of KYUSS, MONSTER MAGNET and early BLACK SABBATH; they've got elements of them all and enough weight behind that dirty, groove laden sound to crush a truck. If you had picked this album up and just played it without knowing anything about it, you would have probably thought this was made back in the late 80's at the genesis of the Stoner Rock genre because the sheer crushing distort that is present on "Slab City" is something you rarely hear these days - almost to the point where I'm arguing with myself whether or not it's a recording mistake or an intended sound. Regardless, it gives a retro feel to the whole thing that if nothing else made me smile.

Anyway, the similarities to the aforementioned KYUSS are many and aplenty, so it didn't come as a surprise to me to hear that they were indeed (heavily, I'd say) influenced by the genre pioneers. That being said, STEAK has taken a slightly different path and approached Rock music more than Metal music, creating a less extreme sound while retaining the heavy nature of their Metal roots, similarly to how GRAVEYARD embraced the old-school sounds of CREAM and BLACK SABBATH and took the Rock path to create their modern masterpieces. Now I can't say with full honesty that I'd compare STEAK and GRAVEYARD in terms of excellence, but there are definitively traces of that revivalist potential in STEAK if it's allowed to grow in the coming years.

Now what impressed me the most about this album, and what in turn makes me think that these guys can become really great in the future, is that "Slab City" screams inspiration throughout the entire album. It starts off with a 5 minute long opening track ("Coma") that's as much an intro track as it is a song, it plays both lengthier songs and shorter songs side-by-side without effort (see the following tracks "Liquid Gold" and the title track "Slab City"), they invited Stoner Metal legend John Garcia of KYUSS (further pointing at their obvious KYUSS-influences) to make a guest appearance, it keeps a true-hearted Stoner pace throughout the album that in one hand never slows to boredom and that at the same time never speeds up into genuine excitement - like an old-school-esque Stoner Rock album should! - while keeping the whole thing interesting through their sheer dedication to the music, and on top of it all even makes time for a self-aware interlude track ("Quaaludes and Interludes") and a ridiculous bonus track at the end ("Old Timer D.W"). If this isn't an inspired creation, then I'll quit this 'job' to become a monk.

So in itself, "Slab City" is a really strong debut album and I really can't see any reason why a Stoner fan wouldn't be jumping head over heels for this record, since it has got just about everything that has made Stoner Rock and Metal into what it is today. What this is not however is the kind of album that will win over the doubters, because it's frankly so massively unapologetic about what it is that is doesn't care about the non-Stoners. And it doesn't exactly expand the genre or make it go places where it hasn't been before. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, since we've got MASTODON (for better or for worse) and their ilk to deal with the genre expansion, and not every band and album need to branch out - actually, it's good that not all does - but it does mean that apart from a Stoner Rock extravaganza, there's not much here for those who don't already worship the genre. That being said, even if you're not a Stoner Rocker at heart, keep the name STEAK in the back of your mind because given a few years and another release or two, these guys could be the thing to win you over. And if you are a Stoner Rocker at heart, why are you still reading this? Go get your copy of STEAK's gloriously gritty "Slab City".