Coming to grips with 's unlikely genesis in the Mecca of Austin, TX, leads one to wonder whether has finally become hip again. Depending on your generation, nothing will seem as simultaneously preposterous (Gen-X'ers who came of age during 's heyday and don't recognize it as an unrepresentative anomaly) or obvious (everyone else) when discussing a genre that's spent the bulk of its 35-year history on the absolute fringe of culture. If that isn't "alternative," well, what is? In any case, glorifying 's prototypical qualities is exactly what is all about, and their 2006 debut, , sees them joining California's , Sweden's , and Australia's (to name but a few) at the forefront of what's gradually become known in the mid-'00s as the "heritage" or "retro-metal" movement. No, not -- that's sooo ten years earlier! The only thing and their ilk have in common with most '90s stoner rockers is recognizing that all empires are sprung from the cornerstone, and the token signs can be readily heard in these songs' ominous doom chords (just listen to opener and ), pummeling, down-picked staccato riff-runs ( ), lyrics about fantasy and legend ( etc.), and, finally, those borderline-inadequate, zombie vocals first made acceptable by himself. 's singer, , is certainly guilty of the latter, but then that only helps to focus one's attention upon the album's main attraction: its megalithic guitar work. For the record, spins the evolutionary clock as far forward as '80s , on occasion, resulting in colossal, galloping onslaughts such as (complete with howling wolves, naturally) and (prefaced by delicate melodies of a medieval feel). Yes, you'll probably have to be a certified, stainless steel metalhead to really appreciate the skyscraping riff constructions of (an instrumental in eight movements!), but the vast majority of what's on-hand proves remarkably well-balanced and almost suspiciously immediate to the ears. As such, provides neophyte (errr -- alternative?) listeners with as good an entryway as any into the "retro-metal" universe, while also managing to sound refreshing even to calloused ears -- this is no small achievement. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia