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If the roman numeral in the album title didn't tip you off, Skullflower play doom metal. However, on IIIrd Gatekeeper they certainly do not go about playing it the traditional way. They like noise. They don't have vocals. The title of the first song, "Can You Feel It?", describes what Skullflower are about: feeling. I can't tell what notes the guitars are playing (I can't even tell if "Larks Tongues" is a King Crimson cover or not), but despite this, the noise on "Can You Feel It?" is heavy and melancholy.

One thing I can hear is the rhythm section. They churn out and endless supply of repetitive, murky riffs for the guitarists to throw swirling vortexes of noise on top of. Everyone on this recording sounds like they are in a trance; the bassist and drummer are lost in their world of pounding rhythms and the guitarists are lost in their world of shapeless noise. But in a strange way it works most of the time. Skullflower lock into their demented, hypnotizing idea of a "groove" and my mind is blown out the back of my skull.

There is really not much to say about this because, well, it's a feeling thing. If you can appreciate the spaced-out noise fanatic vibe that Skullflower are delivering, then it'll click right away, and if you can't then it won't take you long to hate this. Certainly an under-appreciated group for those into Earth, or wondering about what drone/doom was like in the time before Sunn 0))), Khanate, and Southern Lord Records came about.

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Reviewer: Jeff Mcquiggan Added: February 20th 2008