Down With the Crown

The first half of a Man's Ruin CD split with labelmates Altamont, Down With the Crown is Acid King at their lowest, slowest, and finest. Originally a Man's Ruin vinyl 10" release, the three tracks Acid King provide for the CD have a running time just shy of 22 minutes with the dazed epic "Phase 2" lasting a cool 13-and-a-half minutes. Some spooky feedback and unaccompanied two-chord guitar riffing comprise the entire first five minutes of "Phase 2," stretching the limits of Acid King's brontosaurus-like heaviness. Fans of the most evil-sounding Black Sabbath recordings (like the post-Ozzy Mob Rules and Born Again) will surely get a kick out of Down With the Crown's well-oiled sludge conjuring. Only a devilishly inspired Tony Iommi can match the kind of sonic creepiness this San Francisco trio have made their signature. Barely picking up the pace, the middle track "Full Reverse" presents singer/guitarist Lori S. in full ritual-chant mode. Wailing like a drunk high-school girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Lori S. gives "Full Reverse" and "Teen Dusthead" a refreshing L7 tinge that, while unexpected at first, adds just the right amount of punk energy. On this, their first of many Man's Ruin releases, Acid King seemed to almost dare stoner rock fans everywhere to paint their walls black and get down to the business of carving pentagrams into the floor.