Hailing from Oxford, four-piece heavy rockers Desert Storm have spent the last fifteen years honing their dark, pachouli-scented sound into something truly monstrous. Released via APF records, Death Rattle sees the four-piece holed up at the legendary Woodworm Studios to carve out an album that gleefully hops genres, while still maintaining a satisfyingly pulverising base.

Desert Storm make their presence felt with the seismic riffing of Master Of None, a bottom-heavy monster that benefits from Matthew Ryan’s gruff, yet melodic vocals. Influences ranging from Sleep and High on Fire to Sabbath and BLS are present and correct here, and the band run with it, making good use of Steve “Geezer” Watkins’ powerful production to drive the point home. Changing gears, the gorgeous opening to the lengthy Cheyne Smoking showcases a different side to the band and, while a heftier riff is never far behind, there’s a sense of melody and a folk-infused thrust here that is entirely irresistible. A powerful track, it mines a powerful seam of inspiration to deliver more than just the usual smoke-wreathed tropes, the band engaging in a progressive ebb and flow that makes for a much more interesting listen as a result. Next up,the haunting intro to Bad Trip belies the utterly monolithic riff waiting in the wings, albeit some two minutes in. It’s a majestic, slow-burning piece that rewards the listener’s patience with some seriously brutal riffing. In contrast, Melatone offers no such build, the band launching straight into a Sabbath-infused jam, although there’s still space for some subtle sonic exploration as the song progresses. Then, to round out the first half, the dreamy acoustic introduction to Salt Of The Earth lies in a haze of cymbal washes and drone, leading to a dynamic, earthen piece that keeps the listener guessing, even recalling Killing Joke at certain points.

Opening the second side, the coruscating doom of Druid’s Health offers some of the album’s heaviest riffs, although an ethereal mid-section helps to ensure that the finale maintains its elemental power. Unfortunately, it’s a trick the band repeat almost exactly on Insomniac. Independently, both tracks are excellent, but it’s a shame that the band placed two so similarly arranged tracks back-to-back in this way, as it does reduce their impact. Fortunately, we’re back into hulking, full-blooded doom territory with Self Deprecation, another Sabbath-esque trip, nailed by Elliot Cole’s bowel-churning drums and driven by a riff that burns with (un)holy fire. The album concludes with the airy New Dawn, a short, instrumental coda. It’s something of a strange ending, and you can’t help but feel that the glorious Salt Of The Earth might have more effectively drawn down the curtain on proceedings.

Death Rattle is an ambitious, brilliantly produced album with Desert Storm going out of their way to shake up the formula and produce something on their own terms. In this, the band are successful and, at its best, Death Rattle kicks out the jams with aplomb. It’s not quite perfect, however. The sequencing of the album could be a little tighter, and the album does not quite conclude with the explosive finale that it deserves. This is, however, a minor gripe when the overall quality is so high, and Desert Storm have certainly proven themselves here. 8/10

Pre-order the album now – https://linktr.ee/desertstormuk