Mucho-anticipated second album from these New England battle-metallers/Sabbath worshippers (made up of former Milligram / Blackwolfgoat / Roadsaw / Artimus Pyledriver members), returning with another nine songs of crushing traditional doom heaviness, molten psychedelia and galloping power. Their debut (also on Meteor City) gained 'em a bunch of fans, and that disc was one of the most popular releases from the label that we've ever had in stock here at C-Blast. I dug their mix of mystical High On Fire-isms and rolling Sleepified doom on their debut, but on II the band's songwriting has really gone up a notch, with more emphasis on chugging, fist-raising tempos and, most of all, dropping some MASSIVE hooks into the songs, making this one of the catchiest doom albums I've heard lately. There's a crapload of memorable, infectious sing-along choruses and huge riffs on here. The twelve minute "Dreams Of The Dead" could be a lead-off single, if doom metal bands did singles, and you'll be humming along with the chorus immediately. There's also the opening one-two punch of "Endless Agony" and "Mercy's Bane" alternately stomps and soars while kicking out more anthemic hooks. Things never get too slow, as Black Pyramid are heavy enough when they just lurch into one of their lead-plated Sabbath-esque parts, and these doom-laden dirges just accentuate the main driving hooks. The guitars mix things up on II, with Andy Beresky's narcotized, wah-drenched psych guitar on "Night Queen" and the sunny acoustic strum of "Tanelorn" offering variety among the crushing riffs. There's a couple of long winding instrumental passages, something that the band also played with on their last album, and the prog-heavy doom rock of "Sons Of Chaos" is one of the more complex songs I've heard from these guys. Closer "Into The Dawn" really sums this up though, carving its molten anthemic sludge out of equal parts Torche and Master Of Reality-era Black Sabbath. They've definitely shaken off most of the High On Fire-isms of their debut for this album, and have evolved into something much more distinctive and memorable. Definitely for fans of Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, and newer Sabbathoid crushers like Elder and Windhand. Comes in a digipack.