Peace Killers debut album is a scattered affair but regardless, I find it rather satisfying – at least the bits I could actually play…

As a hybrid mash-up of blues, stoner, garage rock, this (rather traditional) four piece outfit refuse easy compartmentalisation. Opener Devil’s Daughter commences with some lovely roaming bass to kick off the tune. This is bolstered with some guitars and it’s sexy blues-rock ahoy. A throaty rock vocal adds to the atmosphere and there are nice little flourishes on the twin six strings. It’s solid stuff. Then Feast on Fisticuffs takes over; it’s loose and has more of a punky feel. A harsher vocal with some fine drumming backs everything up. Admittedly it’s strangely disjointed from the first track but there’s also a strong whiff of the NWoBHM thanks to the twin guitars. In it’s own right, it’s rather good. From Sleep then switches everything back to the raunchy blues-rock vibe. This is again reiterated with Heavy Days Moon Blood which conjures smoky dive bars. It veers a little too close to ‘mainstream rock radio’ for my liking but it’s still way better than a lot of the poop that’s ‘out there’ (where ever that may be).

Stoner blues is what Sugar’s Peepers is all about so rip a bong and swig some rum. There’s some nice organ going on in it too.

You can definitely hear the Thin Lizzy influence on Young Man’s Shoes, with the nobility of the twin guitar carrying the track. The discontinuity between each of the tracks really becomes apparent at this point. Who are you? How can I understand you? Anyway, there’s enough strength in each individual tune for them to stand alone but, as a cohesive whole, the album just doesn’t cut it.

Green Metal opens with a nice bit of a duet between the vocal and guitars but then everything fucks out and the album refuses to play anymore. Bugger. So I can’t really comment on the last few tracks but I do have it on good authority that their cover of Howlin’ Wolf‘s Spoonful is quite bloody sweet. A strange mix of songs but a good mix nonetheless.

Peace Killers is out now on Svart Records