Search - Pentagram :: Sub-Basement (Dig)

HEAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Music Expert | East Coast, USA | 10/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"HEAVY! Probably the most heavy Pentagram album in existence - hey, maybe one of the heaviest albums of all time. And it manages very well without having to resort to Cookie Monster lead vocals, he's more like a versatile Ozzy. 90% new material, I'm pretty sure only Mad Dog is from the 1970s. 1970s you say? Yeah, he's old as my dad, but jeez, can he put out some bludgeoning doom. Doom? Heavy Metal? Sludge? Call it what you want. Turn it up. Enjoy. (...)."

Sub-Sonic Masterpiece

"The Woj" | Downers Grove, IL | 02/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"On Sub-Basement Pentagram delivers a "low-fi", "sub-sonic" doomfest. Let's start with Liebling's vocals. His singing is often reminiscent of early Black Sabbath, his inflections owe much to Ozzy; and at the same time his voice possesses an erie spoken quality similar to "Transformer" era Lou Reed. Agreed Liebling's voice has diminished some from the bands heyday, but it more than holds it's own here (and is still much better than most). The guitar work is also heavily Sabbath influenced. The solos combine the tone of earlier Sabbath albums ("Paranoid" & "Masters Of Reality") with the speed riffs Iommi played on later works ("Technical Ecstasy" & "Never Say Die"). The overall sound of the album is very "doomy" & under-produced. There are not a lot of overdubs or fancy studio tricks here; and that's a good thing. The production quality adds a sinister quality to the ambience & overall mood of the album. Finally the songs are well written & suprisingly melodic. They keep the listener's ear interested throughout with excellent lyrics, well timed tempo changes & killer guitar solos (as mentioned above). The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars rating is the very rudimentary drumming. Joe Hasselvander (who plays all the instruments) is a great guitarist and no slouch on the bass, but his simple drumming can grow slightly tiring/boring on repeated listens. But hey, I don't want to nitpick here. I actually would up this album to 4 1/2 stars if I could. For Pentagram fans or lovers of 70's heavy, heavy metal this album will not disappoint."

THE HEAVIENESS LIVES ON!

Conner | Texas | 02/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pentagram are over 30 years into their careers, and, amazingly, still show no sign of age (they certainly show no intent of halting their habit of churning out music so heavy Atlas himself couldn't lift it). This album, like 1999's spectacular Review Your Choices, splits the tracklist down the middle between remakes of obscure 70's-era Pentagram songs and brand-spankin' new tracks. The old tracks tend to be more on the less gloomy side (although very heavy and dark compared to most music), while the new songs are slow, heavy, frightening doom metal dirges with harrowing vocals courtesy of Bobby Liebling. Also similar to Review Your Choices is the fact that the entire band consists of two individuals, vocalist Bobby Liebling and multi-instrumentalist Joe Hasseldover. Hasseldover is a drummer by trade, but you won't believe it when you hear his talent on the rest of the instruments. His riff-writing talents are showcased on the new songs, and his ability to come up with spine-chilling and dark riffs more than makes up for his sup-par soloing abilities. The lyrics are also definitely worth mentioning, as literally all of the new songs' lyrics are haunting introspectives into the mind of Bobby Liebling and his realization that aging is inescapeable. Truly haunting lyrics.
Overall, the album is a smorgasboard of heaviosity, and will definately take you aback with the darkness, crushing doom, and 70's grooves you'll hear on this CD... Pick it up now, and immerse yourself in the realm of HEAVY with Pentagram..."