I have no idea why I do have the ‘honour’ to write a review about Deepshow’s debut, for this isn’t usually ‘my kind of stuff’. But actually, I am not mad / sad about this decision, for it was quite an interesting experience.
A short introduction: Deepshow are a young band from the French-speaking part of Belgium, and they released a demo in 2012. After some line-up changes, this combo entered the studio in order to record a first professional studio album, and The Spleen King is the result, having a total running time of fifty four minutes.
With the title track, Deepshow start their effort in a manner I can truly adore. Especially the introduction is quite interesting, but somewhat confusing. Reason: it might let you think this album will be a Sludge-Doom epos. But it is not.
Actually, Deepshow combine Traditional, somewhat late sixties / early seventies-induced Doom Metal / Rock with elements from Groove and Stoner, and quite some details from, for example, Speed and Heavy Metal. Actually, they created the ‘hoovy’ style, which seems to be a neologism for combining ‘heavy’ and ‘groove’. There is a lot of variation in between the eleven pieces on this album, with slower and faster ones, some are groovier, then again heavier, and there are even moments of integrity and emotionality.
Consider it a mixture of Down, Black Sabbath, Pantera, C.O.C. and even Soundgarden…