Whereas previous output could at times feel slightly disjointed in its approach, ‘Vol.ll’: a more cohesive group of songs, melds the traditionally head-butting styles of heavy metal and low-fi indie to a level far greater than ever seen before.
The bands obvious love of a fat-off riff (or two) is never more apparent than on first single ‘Entombed’, the cloudy line that covers this bands genre placement is at its most clear. This is a heavy metal showcase. Classic metallic riffs demand headbanging, “All is lost. Entombed” is uttered in unassuming fashion, making the following neck snapping guitar wizardry feel that bit extra cold-blooded.
In accomplished fashion the rhythm section really take charge on ‘My Tree’. Low end rumbling and tonnes of classic china hits separate it from the pack. The altogether beefier manner in which the way the track is attacked is given the cold shoulder when a fully-fledged wind blowing through 80’s long hair style guitar solo is presented. It’s unexpected and outstanding in equal measure.
A constant juxtaposition to the onslaught of heavily armed guitars is the flowing and sometimes sheepish delivery of Jock Norton vocals. The man’s voice conjures up an LA sun deprived Rivers Cuomo bound with the eccentricities of Ghost’s Papa Emeritus kind of vibe. On paper, something that should probably never happen, but the bashful front man pulls it off. Not only does he pull it off, he absolutely triumphs.
When James Hetfield isn’t churning out fabled power driven metal anthems and fancies writing a sweeter sounding song, he turns to a riff just like this. If it’s good enough for the big man, then it’s good enough for these guys. The sombre tones of and ‘Here at Home’ give the EP another layer of identity, altering the pace down to a slower brooding tempo. “Remember how we used to break the rules”. I suppose you could say Puppy are doing just that, marrying a myriad of genres in such a nonchalant way, appears to be almost too easy for the London band.
LEW TROTT