Valley of the Snake

Sinister stoner rock outfit Ruby the Hatchet have been cultivating a career in evil grooves and dark, doomy blues riffs since their 2011 inception. Valley of the Snake is the band's second album, following a burning 2012 debut with Ouroboros. The band's sludgy, foreboding sound is less stoner metal and more of a grizzled, road-weary rock, with churning rhythms along with blistering guitars and organ tones serving as a perfect backdrop for vocalist Jillian Taylor's controlled wails and cauldron smoke-scented incantations. The album's six songs run through a range of wild, explosive rock sounds tinged with both drawling grooves and hints of psychedelia, kicked off by lead single "Vast Acid." ~ Fred Thomas