Band:	Spaceslug
Album:	Reign Of The Orion
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	December 2019

01. Down To The Sun
02. Spacerunner
03. Half-Moon Burns
04. Trees Of Gold
05. Beneath The Haze

Another year, another quality Spaceslug release.

Since Lemanis dropped in 2016, this Polish stoner metal trio has reliably pumped out new albums annually, plus an EP or two along the way. Their particular brand of laidback, unrushed, yet not overly jammy hard rock/metal has thankfully turned out to be a rich well; 2017's Time Travel Dilemma is arguably the most complete realization of their sound thus far, but each record has been fully worthy of the attention of anyone with any interest in this musical area. Additionally, whilst never reinventing themselves, they've added in bits and pieces to their sound along the way to spice things up. Eye The Tide introduced harsh vocal cameos, plus the odd blast beat once in a blue moon, and both that record and this year's contribution to the Polish stoner metal 4 Way Split, "Ahtmosphere", have seen Spaceslug add an increasingly melancholic element to what had previously been a more psychedelic, fuzzy experience. In its relatively brief runtime, Reign Of The Orion traverses each of these aspects of the band's sound to typically good effect.

"Down To The Sun" is more in the Lemanis/Time Travel Dilemma vein of rolling, fuzzy riffs to space out too. On the flip side, "SpaceRunner" has a more delicate, mellow tone, with its dainty guitar motif and groovy bass. The patient development of this song, as separate layers almost imperceptibly flesh out the sound to breaking point until it overflows and some heavy chords get unleashed, is something I don't really remember hearing from the band before, and is impressively judged, with just enough progression to avoid feeling repetitive, and just enough release to feel cathartic without completely letting loose.

"Half-Moon Burns" is less restrained, building for a minute before unleashing the fuzz and some more strained vocals to contrast the sedate, soporific style that so dominates the band's sound. This is the track that nudges closest to the intensity the band displayed on Eye The Tide's "Words Like Stones", yet at the same time is perhaps the song on the album that most effectively captures the 'uncertain traveller venturing into the black unknown' vibe that Spaceslug pull off when at their best (the Blade Runner 'tears in the rain' sample doesn't hurt).

The few users of this website already familiar with Spaceslug (there are a whole 5 fans of their page here at the time of writing, myself included) will not be surprised by what they hear on Reign Of The Orion, and whilst they may not be stunned, I doubt anyone previously fond the band's work is going to be disappointed by this latest effort. It doesn't quite rival Time Travel Dilemma for me, but as the repetitive, crushing riffs that dominate the closing moments of the album on "Beneath The Haze" push relentlessly on, I find myself once again immersed and transported in a way that most of the onslaught of up-and-coming stoner doom bands could only dream of pulling off.