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Those of you who get high on the vibes of Doom were doubtlessly wondering what guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin would be up to when his amicable departure from Pentagram was announced. Well, wonder no more….the answer is In-Graved, a band that’s about to debut on the scene with this homonymous album.

 

One of the first things to emerge is that Griffin doesn’t pull any huge surprises out of his creative hat. That said, the songs we have here tend to be very bluesy and groovy. ‘Fading Flower’, for instance, kept reminding me of bluesmeister Jeff Beck. We also get to hear Victor Griffin grace the album with a few incendiary guitar solos. His vocals are also in great form. On Hammond, Jeff ‘Oly’ Olson (Trouble’s original drummer) provides a significant contribution to the songs, even when the keys are low in the mix.

 

“In-Graved” is very much a family gathering of sorts (and in more ways than one). With Victor and Jeff, the main line-up is completed by drummer Pete Campbell (60 Watt Shaman, Place Of Skulls) and Guy Pinhas (The Obsessed, Acid King, Goatsnake) on bass. Besides the foursome, other Doom luminaries drop by including: bassists Ron Holzner (Earthen Grave, Trouble, Debris Inc), Greg Turley (Pentagram, Place Of Skulls), Dan Lively (Sweet Cicada) and Anne Griffin, keyboardist Mike Puleo (Orodruin) and, interestingly, bass player Marty Swaney (Death Row, Pentagram). This is a snapshot of U.S. Doom to the core.

 

From the 8 tracks we have here, ‘Late For An Early Grave’ (love that title!) and the infectiously upbeat ‘Never Surrender’ had already appeared on Griffin’s solo album “Late For An Early Grave” of 2004. The difference this time is that, despite Griffin’s obvious influence, the aura is that of a band rather than of a solo project.

 

Historically the U.S. Doom ‘family’ has always been hindered by band-member turnover problems but I really hope that In-Graved will go from strength to strength with a stable line-up. Judging from these songs, this line-up seems to work just fine.

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