Suns of Thunder - Gimme Some More E.P.

Best enjoyed ice cold, to me, informs that the beer I'm about to drink probably tastes like piss and one's tastebuds need to be suitably numb in order that the experience can be endured. A disclaimer on the front of an E.P. imploring me to listen to the record at maximum volume raises similar concerns. However, Suns of Thunder aren't the kind of band you'd choose if you were in the mood to savour delicate and fragile musical subtleties. They're all about the "groove baby," they're unashamedly big but not clever, it's steak-eating RAWK and they make no apologies for it. It also sounds like Clutch. An awful lot like Clutch. Curse of the Mothertruckers, for example, could have come directly from Clutch's 2004 Robot Hive/Exodus album (even the title is Neil Fallon-esque). Don't get me wrong, Sons of Thunder are very good at this particular kind of monster-truck music, but as I listen to the record I get the feeling that I could just, y'know, stick on Clutch, who are better. [Les Ogilvie]