Here we have the debut self-titled offering by Atlanta-based stoner sludge doom metallers Let The Night Roar. The promotional copy I received came with an accompanying biography that listed the main selling point is the band features former Malevolent Creation guitarist Jeff Juszkiewicz. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, to be fair, it’s been 17 years since Jeff was in Malevolent Creation. His sole contribution to the band was his guitar playing effort on the band’s 1991 Roadrunner Records debut The Ten Commandments. Prior to that his only musical contribution was he was the guitarist of Chris Barnes’ old garage band Leviathan back in Buffalo the mid 80s.

So what has Jeff been up to over the past 17 years? I have no fucking idea, but he did form a band called Tualatin with bassist Steven Higginbottom and drummer Hunter Cook in 2003. The trio recorded a three song demo then eventually changed their name to Let The Night Roar and recorded this self-titled 8 track, nearly 36 minute stoner/sludge/doom effort and released it on their own label, Tualatin Records, in March of 2008.

Let The Night Roar is a relentless snail’s crawl crushing stoner doom effort with sludge elements. The material is very reminiscent of material by Relapse Records’ High On Fire but with more emphasis on playing slower paced material with a heavier sound. Despite the relative lack of originality, the heavy as fuck sound mixed with the catchy chuggy riffs and surprisingly solid vocal performance makes this album an entertaining release to rock out to.

There isn’t even the slightest hint of Malevolent Creation in the music of Let The Night Roar, which isn’t surprising considering it’s been nearly two decades since Jeff’s participation in the band. Let The Night Roar is as pure of a sludgy doom chuggernaut as a band can get. The band hardly offers anything unique, one listen to this album and you’ll recognize riffs and guitar patterns from other artists pretty clearly, however they play the material extremely well and the subsonic crushing bass tone and simple riffs make it impossible to not get your toe tapping and head nodding.

After listening to the boring piece of shit that is The Gates Of Slumber’s Conqueror, it’s refreshing to hear that the stoner metal sound, when done correctly, can sound great, even despite the genre’s lack of original song writing. If you’re looking for something thick, meaty, powerful and catchy then you should definitely check out Let The Night Roar. Surprisingly good stuff!

Review byTeufel