King Zog – King Zog – Album Review

Hailing from the land down under, King Zog – which was actually the name of a 20th century Albanian king, fact fiends – are set to release their self titled debut album upon an unsuspecting world. From their name, to some of their song titles it initially seems like these lads are a bit of a joke, however one listen to their album reassures you that they take their craft very seriously indeed.

So then, what aural delights await the intrepid visitor to the court of King Zog? The answer to that is nothing but the finest of melodic, 70’s inspired doom!

The living legend that is Wino is an obvious influence on this mob, especially in his Spirit Caravan guise and with that band seemingly back on hiatus, this could be the closest we get to some ‘new’ Spirit Caravan music for some time. From the opening statement of intent that is “Lost At Sea” to the closing “Season In Hell”, this is an album full of warm, fuzzed up but catchy riffs and more memorable choruses than you can shake an extremely shitty stick at. It’s then left to vocalist Daniel Durack, who is blessed with a particularly soulful timbre, to warm the cockles of your cold dead heart.

As already mentioned some of the song titles come across like a bad joke – “Liz Business”, “Man-Sized Rotisserie” and “Fuck Island” to name but three – while some of the lyrics leave a lot to be desired but, all in all, this is a decent wee album to have. King Zog are never going to win prizes for their lyrics or songtitles but there are certainly worse ways to spend fifty or so minutes of your life. 6/10