Asteroid first came to my attention on the split CD they put out with Blowback last year on my beloved Fuzzorama Records. At the time I said they were "an absolute delight, layering their stoner fuzz in psychedelic sheens straight out of the Masters Of Reality handbook". And now, here they are with a whole CD to themselves! And, lo, it is good.

They seem to be slowly metamorphosising from a stoner based band into a heavy fuzz spacerock outfit, and that's the kind of talk that gets me ever so slightly moist. And there are so many incredibly good grooves here, I could be keeping the laundrette going for years. What stops them tipping over into out and out spacerock is the brevity and melody on display, so despite song titles along the lines of 'The Infinite Secrets of Planet Megladoon' and 'Panoramic Telescope', they've remained rooted in the concept of the song. Which is cool.

Of all their contemporaries they're probably closest to Truckfighters as they dish out heavy anthem after heavy anthem with well thought out arrangements, keyboards and oodles of monumental fuzz. Best of the bunch in a bunch full of goodness are probably '''The 13th Witching Hour' with its weird rhythms and 'Doctor Smoke' which is just far out and groovy, man.

If psychedelic fuzz space rock is your bag, and it should be, this is nogh on essential.

:twisted :twisted :twisted :twisted / 4 out of 5
Buy From Amazon