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There are few more satisfying things in life than the sound of a new band with a strong identity and a shitload of brilliant riffs.

Delivering powerhouse grooves and tons of burly, bearded bravado direct from the streets of south London, Stoneghost plainly owe a fair amount to Pantera, Clutch and even Mastodon, but the combination of those influences hasn’t sounded this fresh or invigorating for a long time.

Kicking off with the dangerously infectious Faceless Ghost and the sledgehammer funkiness of Devil’s Motion, this cocksure quartet eschew current trends in favour of doing things the timeless, heavy metal way, evoking the pinpoint precision of Lamb Of God and the sullen sludge of Alice In Chains’ darkest moments, but never sounding like slaves to any scene or era.

Stoneghost pull off inspired twists and turns with the skill of veterans, but every last song boasts at least one incisive refrain and a rugged rhythmic core that suggest that these brutes are destined for big things./o:p

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.