Pure, unadulterated Groove bands are somewhat of a rare commodity these days, generally consisting of DOWN, SEPULTURA, bands whom really want to sound like DOWN, or branching off into other arenas like Death Metal (LAMB OF GOD) or Industrial (FEAR FACTORY). I suppose, then, it was time for bands like TOY CALLED GOD to come around. The band was founded in 2010 in Brentwood, California; 2016 sees the release of the band's third album, "Dirt On Your Coffin", a concise helping of chunky riffage and emotive vocals.

The first whiff out of this delicious jug of moonshine is "False Prophet", with smatterings of nostalgic 90's vibes and racy vocal hooks. Putting the archetypal "radio-friendly" track at the start of the album might work for some people; for others, it might put them off. I, however, was well-rewarded come the next track, "Drop On The Pile". It's one hell of a muddy and chuggy dirge if I've ever heard one, with a chorus that runs less fluid than a bottle of Jack and more like a river of black molasses. In fact, this descriptor can be used for a majority of the album's tracks, though a few oddities stand out. The video single "Justice" is embellished by some modern polish and its riffs fall with a hard axe edge; the vocals are especially on point, Marcus never holding back, sometimes reminding one of a young Ozzy.

Where the album falls a little shorter in the more upbeat tracks like "Warning Shot" and "Push Me Down", the sludgier, groovier tracks are where the album stands out. "Shackled", for example, is a nice reprieve after the latter, with heavily wah-laden riffs and a deliciously rumbling bass line. Pieces like "Shackled" and the closing, titular track take the "good stuff" from angry 90's music as the hilt to a modern blade.

At times I was reminded a little too much of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS but the riffs to follow ended up reminding what I was actually listen to: a true-blue slab of groovy goodness.

All hail the riff.