Various Artists - Worship the Riff

Fly with the craws, get shot with the craws; that's what they say. Case in point: Ostinato must have a real beef with Exile on Mainstream for including them on a CD with Beehoover. The former showcases the better side of EoM: intelligent and moving metallic post-rock, it seduces and pummels in equal measure. Beehoover, on the other hand, is a gothic abomination masquerading as 'doom-jazz.' Reminiscent of Paradise Lost covering System of A Down songs on the pub circuit, it's hard to keep a straight face. Somewhere between these poles sit the suitably obtuse riffage of Dyse, the filthy crunch of End of Level Boss and the sombre piano of A Whisper in the Noise. There are certainly a multitude of riffs to be had here, though few do anything Alice in Chains and Kyuss haven't already bettered. Ultimately it's an average collection that sees some potentially good artists dragging the dead weight of a few real stinkers. [Austin Tasseltine]