Ordo Ad Chao: Black Pyramid, Son Of Boar, Ironrat, Loyd's Trip & Yetii

Yetii are a two piece who make quite a racket. They play stoner rock in the vein of 'Blues' era Kyuss mixed with a little Sleep. The singer's voice is powerful even it sometimes veers off key but, to be honest, this just adds to the charm. One song is quite epic, with the band painting eastern influenced desert rock vistas which change and become quite bludgeoning. It's like Kyuss shifting back and forth between 'Blues For The Red Sun' and 'Sky Valley' within the same song. Some of the guitarwork is excellent too, showing little sublime bluesy touches.

Loyd's Trip are a heavy blues rock band with a classic metal look. The singer looks like prime Dave Wyndorf but sounds like he's been beamed in from the 70s. Everything authentically seventies rock is added to the mix from Detroit garage rock to Hawkwind style space rock as well doom, blues, southern rock, boogie and heavy rock. They are clearly very good musicians and good at what they do, but they don't quite hit inspirational levels. It's akin to watching a very good tribute act and yet they undeniably have something. Over the course of the night and the days following, I find myself thinking about them a lot and wanting to see them again. A new track with the working title 'Alabama Chokeslammer' sounds like a heavier Black Crowes covering 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'. Intriguing.

Ironrat are somewhere between High On Fire's take on metal and Black Cobra's heavy doom. They are pretty good but I can already feel myself running out of energy so I retire downstairs to the bar for something full of sugar to see if that helps. They do have a nice satisfying Tony Iommi guitar tone though.

Son Of Boar plough the same style of material as Orange Goblin or maybe even High On Fire, a doomy biker rock style of heavy metal. They have decent riffs and they're heavy enough but it just comes across as competent, nothing more. They occasionally touch on Conan levels of heaviness, only without the same ear-splitting volume. 'Satanic Panic (Revelations)' is fairly dynamic and has a decent amount of energy though.

Right from the start, headliners Black Pyramid lay down heavy, hypnotic grooves. The bass is low tuned with a delicious tone, as it should be for their brand of stoner doom. Fast or slow, and they are a combination of both, they are mesmerising. 'The Paths Of Time Are Vast' swings like God's own dick, as Monster Magnet used to say. The track is EPIC (they play all three parts), covering 25 minutes and travelling through a number of different movements with multiple riffs and grooves. Tremendous.