The second album of the Rob Lowe (Solitude Aeturnus) era, albeit the first with songs written specifically for him, as the formation of King Of The Grey Islands was under the guise that longtime vocalist Messiah Marcolin would be involved. The pre-release EP teaser (Lucifer Rising) gave no indication of how monstrous a disc was yet to be unleashed. There’s a little bit of everything within these eight tracks, from the speedy ‘If I Ever Die’ opener and like-mindedly upbeat ‘Dead Angel’ to the Sabbathy sludge of what was originally destined to be the title track ‘Hammer Of Doom’ (down to the Iommi riffage and tolling bell!), even a cut or two with synthesizers, without diminishing that trademark sound (‘Clouds Of Dementia’/’My Funeral Dreams’). Leif Edling’s initial solo effort is in stores virtually simultaneously, but none of that one-dimensional '70s psychedelia finds its way into these tunes. Plenty of spirited guitar playing slices through the pedestrian, cement shoes marathon (see ‘The Bloody Baroness’). Lowe demonstrates his ability throughout, occasionally a capella, unburdened by the leviathan rhythms, as in the acoustic tinged ‘Demon Of The Deep’. The lumbering, 7:52 meander of ‘House Of A Thousand Voices’ seemingly breezes by, no mean feat. Another stellar effort!
