CORTISOL�s debut trudges around in similar mud-caked boots as SKEPTICISM and THERGOTHEN with 4 songs in 45 minutes, but these Canadian dirge merchants also blend continent-shifting, spacious CORRUPTED strength riffage with droning melodic sonics that could have come off of PELICAN�s Australasia, if that album had been more influenced by WINTER and WARHORSE. Pounding, menacing, totally crushing riffage and syrupy drumming coalesce with a combo of shredded screams and grim monkish chanting. Theres also all sorts of weird electronic loops and feedback drones and noise that turn up in between (and sometimes during) the songs, and CORTISOL even speeds it up with some raw, crusty thrash at the beginning of "Hog Tied" before sinking into a majestic/malevolent CODEINE-meets-KHANATE slow-core dirge. Great stuff ! Def recommended to fans of extreme doom, EYEHATEGOD, CORRUPTED, MARE, etc.