For nearly two decades, Desert Storm have been a cornerstone of England’s fuzz underground music. One can imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself claiming the first review of their catalog here. The band’s maturation has been a process of trial and error, evolving from smoky, blues stoner and southern rock roots into a heavier, muddier, doom-inspired form.
Despite the unevenness of the Oxford band’s earlier efforts—Forked Tongues and Horizontal Life—Desert Storm‘s more recent work (specifically Sentinels and Omens) found that sweet spot where sludge, doom and stoner rock collide. While 2023’s Death Rattle saw these guys largely revisiting their old psychedelic ways, their seventh record, Buried Under the Weight of Reason, reverses course with a Saharan explosion of downtuned, resounding grooves and explosive riff drops ready to shatter plenty of bongs.
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As the first notes of “Newfound Respect” strike, Buried Under the Weight of Reason reveals itself as a steeper, more dynamic beast than its predecessors. The guitars have thickened into a sludge/doom/stoner hybrid of epic proportions, combining Boss Keloid-style phrases (“Rot to Ruin,” “Newfound Respect”) with Baronessian textures (“Twelve Seasons,” “Law Unto Myself”) and even occasional djenty chug (“Cut Your Teeth,” “Rot to Ruin”). Huge, low riffs drive Desert Storm‘s definitive songwriting pattern. The songs move between sharply jumping verses and clean, frustrated bridges, often with playful bass touches and blues choruses. Elliot Cole’s drums hit with massive, tom-forward authority. Every possible hit merges with new bassist Andrew Keyzor (formerly Beard of Zeuss), carving deep pockets in tracks like “Woodsman” and “Shamanic Echoes.” By the time the first tracks pass, it’s obvious that Buried Under the Weight of Reason finds Desert Storm operating right at their helm.
Desert Storm have committed to a single mission on Buried Under the Weight of Reason: to deliver crushing, irresistible groove from start to finish. Although smaller bands often abandon a strong hook too early, Desert Storm have the confidence to lock in and let a sequence breathe like fine wine, avoiding the usual trap of overcomplicating a riff before it reaches its zenith. Their controlled approach to songwriting shines on “Woodsman” and “Shamanic Echoes,” where the band adds shades through minimalist, intense phrasing that is both compelling and fresh. “Rot to Ruin” and “Cut Your Teeth” use spacious, blues transitions to reset the listener’s palate before building toward massive deliveries. The latter succeeds because the quartet restrains itself, patiently waiting for the exact moment to strike with a giant closing riff. The album closes with “Twelve Seasons,” a standout track that balances technical complexity and eccentricity with Desert Storm‘s conviction to mine every ounce of a groove’s energy until it’s dry.
Matthew Ryan’s vocals have historically been Desert Storm‘s hollow spot, but on Buried Under the Weight of Reason, they arrive with unprecedented polish and credibility. Striking with a grayish, Crowbar-like growl, Ryan provides a steady—if largely safe—foundation that supports Desert Storm‘s low-frequency mass. While Ryan’s vocals struggle to elevate the wealth of top-level riffs, they sit comfortably in the mix, serving their purpose without overreaching. Inconsistencies appear, however, on “Woodsman,” where the mechanical chanting feels like a unique angle tripping over its own idiosyncrasy. More annoying is “Dripback,” where Ryan’s barking cadence seems a little too irregular, overshadowing an otherwise wonderful groove. Beyond the vocal performance, the compressed mix masks the finer shades—like the cowbell on “Twelve Seasons”—and the quartet’s commitment to the all-powerful riff sometimes results in the songs feeling overlong. While Desert Storm‘s “groove-first” philosophy is certainly their strength, it leads to some excess on the record’s longer recordings (“Rot to Ruin,” “Shamanic Echoes”). Moreover, the inclusion of the interlude “Carry the Weight” seems pointless within the album’s flow.
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But for Desert Storm, Buried Under the Weight of Reason is cause for celebration. Knowing and staying largely within their established boundaries, the band has created not only a good record, but easily their best to date. While it occasionally overreaches or struggles to maintain momentum, the songwriting and groove are catchy enough to make every head in the club nod in unison. Their sharpest effort to date, with enough weight to kill an elephant, Buried Under the Weight of Reason is a very good moment and a reminder that sometimes, that’s all a record needs to be.
Rating: Very good!
DR: 5 | Format rated: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Websites: desertstorm.bandcamp.com/music | desertstormband.com | facebook.com/desertstormuk
Releases worldwide: March 6, 2026
The review was done by Angry metal guy.
https://www.angrymetalguy.com/desert-storm-buried-under-the-weight-of-reason-review/
