I wasn't overly impressed at first, but this band seriously grew on me over the past few years and have become a favorite. There's a "tongue in cheek" vibe to them that's very endearing, they don't take themselves too seriously...just sound like a bunch of blokes out to have some fun. They wear their influences on their sleeves and they are proud of it. They've transformed their sound from initially stoner(ish) to more of a classic metal sound over the years, but it feels more like a natural progression than a calculated change of direction. My reasoning behind that is there were some missteps in the process, a couple of the middle albums weren't really up to par, but they've rebounded in a big way. My thoughts on their discography:
Frequencies From Planet Ten: While there are moments of throwing a little too many ingredients into the stew, this is quite an impressive record. Equal parts doom, psychedelia and straight ahead metal. Standout tracks: Magic Carpet (with some nice jazz touches), Aquatic Fanatic, Land Of Secret Dreams and the epic closing track Star Shaped Cloud.
Time Traveling Blues: This album is the one that initially got me interested in the band, the opening track Blue Snow is brilliant. There are still elements of fanboy worship....the Deep Purple inspired intro to Shine, but their own sound is starting to come out. Standout tracks: Blue Snow, Solarisphere, The Man Who Invented Time, Nuclear Guru.
The Big Black: The last of their quasi-stoner releases, this is the one where it all comes together for them. Even though they use Kyuss as the blueprint to work from, this is definitely their own date and it's the first album that flows perfectly all the way through. The shorter songs actually work in their favor, saving the one long track to end the album with. All the tracks on this one are standouts.
Coup De Grace: This album is the one where they sounded like they were struggling a little too hard to evolve. There are some excellent tracks: Rage Of Angels (one of their best songs), Getting High On The Bad Times and two featuring John Garcia on guest vocals, Made Of Rats and Jesus Beater. But as a whole it's quite an unfocused record, The Misfits cover tune just seems to nail that point home.
Thieving From The House Of God: The first record by the quartet version (second guitarist left) is actually a step up from the previous album and more firmly states their intention to be a straight-ahead metal band. The unfortunate aspect is that the production quality is sub-standard and really takes away from the overall impact of the songs. I've heard live versions of some of these tunes that are far and away better. Standout Tracks: Round Up The Horses, One Room, One Axe, One Outcome, Black Egg.
Healing Through Fire: It's not often that a band gets around to releasing it's best album a decade into their career...many groups peak way before. But this is one of the exceptions. After being discouraged with their previous two releases I had almost given up hope...but then I heard "The Ballad Of Solomon Eagle" and grabbed the album right away. Easily their best record, they sound confident, assured and full of attitude. Thankfully the production quality is first rate and this record sounds best LOUD. Standout tracks: Pretty much the entire album, but the following are my personal favorites - Hounds Ditch (could be their best song ever), Cities Of Frost, Vagrant Stomp, Beginner's Guide to Suicide.
Sorry for the rambling post....