Doom, sludge, and drone combine to do the mollusk-slide on Misery Wizard. Its has six tracks. "Astaroth" starts off this the etude for Sonambulistic technique with a slabacious weather-front of guitar super-glued to the very bits of the digital delivery form the listener has chosen, CD, MP3, stone tablet. At first, the shock of Pilgrim's glacial tempo, its adagio perversity, is mildly interesting. The track never improves on that thrill.
Pilgrim is a three-piece from Rhode Island. When they recorded this in September of 2011, those within earshot cleared the local shelves of Vivarin. The title track is an eleven-minute cavatina. The bass is a Dr. Dre dream of loud tub-thumpin'. The drums check in occasionally for a bong hit and a snare whack. The guitar is a digideredoo of Marshall droning, a tar tusnami. Vocals are slipped in through the back door once in awhile. The mixing slider was kept quite low for them. Not wicked good.
Pilgrim have a definite sound. They're likened to Sabbath (who isn't?), Reverend Bizarre and YOB, etc. Rev B. may be kind of close. Misery Wizard has its moments, "Quest" and "Adventurer" provide electricity with tempo flirtations and guitar solos. Pilgrim might consider this an avenue to explore. They also might consider bars, measures, tempo and originality.
Ultimately, doom metal must hypnotize. It must induce an altered state to bolster the altered states most fans achieve on their own while listening. Pilgrim doesn't do that on Misery Wizard. It ain't no Inuit throat-singing battle. Its a bore by the ten-minute mark.
(released February 14, 2012 on Poison Tongue/Metal Blade Records)
