The second compilation album by cult American Heavy/Doom Metal/Rock band.
After a long absence, Lost Breed (now known as Vengeance Brothers) returned with "Bow Down", marching in their classic Heavy/Doom paths. The band defines itself as a pure Doom Metal one, but in our ears, it's more like a sweet combo of Heavy Metal, Southern Rock and Hard Rock. We've grown used to call bands like Candlemass as representatives of the Doom genre, since we're Europeans, although now we're dealing with the American version of Doom genre, which holds dear the combo aforementioned, plus some Garage Rock elements, to spice things up. From a general spectrum, the tracks are satisfactory, without being too fancy or extravagant. The compositions are bouncy, while some heavy outbursts surprise us. The album's quality is raised by Baestlein's guitar solos and Silver's drum choices, while Augustine's distinct bass steals the show. Twelve of the seventeen songs included in the album were already released in the compilation album "Wino Daze" (2007). We're talking about tracks like "Lumberjack" with that nice intro and its intense bass and drums that lure you into their rhythm cave, "Shot Glass Eyes" and "Two Strong Fists" that have a more up-tempo and the heavy gem "Lock Up Your Daughters". After these already released pieces, we stumble upon another five that were released under the "Vengeance Brothers" name (the band acquired this name after parting ways with Pat Lydon). These tracks have a more Rock'n'Roll and Southern character, which is evident mainly in the guitar solos. In all of these compositions, the bass is clearly audible, without being treated like secondary instrument, as many musicians do. The title track "Bow Down" is quite uplifting and leads on your first beer right before dusk. Loud drums are found in "Manifest Destiny", in which we encounter a great solo by Baestlein, as well. "Candy Store" and "Crystal Deth" are fast in speed and short in duration. Generally, "Bow Down" is a record with a strong biker essence that is found only in remote areas of the American countryside. The musicianship between the members of Lost Breed seems to be very stable and has tied basis, which explains why the result is decent. If you like anything from the now closed Hellhound label, then expect great things. Bands like Revelation, The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Unorthodox and so on are all in tune with Lost Breed, although Lost Breed are more Rock and Roll than pure out and out Doom of other artists mentioned. This CD documents Lost Breed's contribution to that phoenix rising from the ashes, a post 1995 release. This is a nice compilation with decent clear artwork, that stimulates your ears with tales of drugs, alcohol, woe and basically real life stuff. This is certainly a good value CD package for its musical content and really worth checking out for fans of Lost Breed's development post official break up!!
