Madre de Dios

Dozer showed some promise on its first Man's Ruin album, In the Tail of a Comet, an enjoyable, if less than exceptional, stoner rock effort that underscored the Swedish band's appreciation of Black Sabbath and early Metallica. Madre de Dios, Dozer's second Man's Ruin effort, isn't a radical departure from its predecessor. The headbangers' focus is still stoner rock, and Sabbath and Metallica are still prominent influences. But this time, the writing is slightly stronger. While In the Tail of a Comet was respectable, Madre de Dios is even more confident and assured. This CD doesn't try to win you over with aggression alone; although the songs are loud, heavy, and forceful -- no one will mistake Madre de Dios for easy listening -- they're also melodic. Like Sabbath, Dozer holds melody and heaviness in equally high regard. The title of this album is certainly an attention-getter; in Spanish, Madre de Dios means Mother of God. So here you have a Swedish band that writes in English exclusively (which isn't uncommon in Scandinavian countries) but gives its second Man's Ruin album a Spanish title. Of course, the main thing is the quality of the songs themselves -- and on Madre de Dios, a band that was decent to begin with is getting even better. ~ Alex Henderson