Band:	Pentagram
Album:	Pentagram
Style:	Doom metal
Release date:	1985
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Relentless
02. Sign Of The Wolf (Pentagram)
03. All Your Sins
04. Run My Course
05. Death Row
06. Dying World
07. The Ghoul
08. You're Lost I'm Free
09. The Deist
10. Sinister
11. 20 Buck Spin

Omne, I hear you ask, why does Gojira want us to save Wales so badly?

Well, let me start by explaining that last year was the year that the doom genre really clicked for me; a genre I'd long been ambivalent towards finally made sense and I fell head over heels with the genre. No, pot wasn't legalised where I live; instead, I discovered Pentagram, an album that highlighted how the pieces of the puzzle clicked together and the bigger picture became visible.

Soaked in a stoner vibe, Pentagram worships the best elements of Black Sabbath without sounding like a second rate tribute act; it was hard not to be taken in; especially with powerful slabs of doom in "All Your Sins" and "The Deist", among others. The coalescence of the hypnotic lo-fi riffage of Griffin with the mournful, 'lost soul trapped in purgatory' wailing of Liebling gives Pentagram their charm. "Dying World" sees these two elements collide to spectacular effect, an immediate dopamine hit that will get your blood flowing and your head nodding.

Pentagram achieves what all music aspires to do, to pull you out of your head and soak up your attention like a sponge. By the time "Run My Course" hits, you're lost in the music and hanging on to every beat and note, which, thanks to the raw, yet well done production, is easily accessible among the haze.

Of course, the duo's work would be for nought if they weren't supported by the rhythm section of Hasselvander and Swaney, who add depth and a brooding atmosphere to proceedings, such as their understated performances on "The Ghoul". Though Hasselvander's snare lacks punch and power, his fills and sense of rhythm more than compensate for the dull thuds that emanate from his kit.

I've found myself making up for lost time and delving deep into the genre's best known works, rare gems and works that seem to have gotten lost under a rock; however, I still regularly return to give this album another spin, almost like a free diver coming back up for another lungful of oxygen. Perhaps that is the biggest compliment, and one that speaks volumes on its own.