Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight – Underground (2013)

Unlike the recent wave of new thrash bands popping up left right and centre, the recent resurgence in doom in all its glorious forms has unearthed some truly excellent bands.
Of these the St. Albans power trio Trippy Wicked have been carving a path for themselves with their latest few full length offerings, and their latest ep Underground finds them once more in fine form with another half an hour slab of thick riffs, groove infused drumming and front man Pete Holland’s melodious yet somewhat haunting vocals, blending seamlessly as the well oiled machine we have come to expect. Yet there is little here that is mechanical, everything flows with an organic vibe from the thunderous opening title track through to the classic rock infused Echoes Return into the instrumental midsection of Enlightenment and Discoveries, which at times delve into the more psychedelic elements of recent Mastodon releases, before the dark and foreboding epic finale of New Beginnings rolls through which borders on being so heavy that your eardrums may have a hard time forgiving you. Underground is a release that is both essential for fans of the band and an excellent place to start for new listeners to this band that are leaps and bounds above the majority of the competition. (8)
Callum Cragg