Probably the heaviest band in Calgary right now—and they’re a two-piece, no less!—Mares of Thrace have returned with their second album, The Pilgrimage.  Though I’m generally not a fan of bands without bass, this sludge duo delivers riffage so heavy that you almost don’t notice it’s missing.

Take the opening tune, “David Glimpses Bathsheba,” a slow-motion riff-fest, some solid head-nodding material right here.  Likewise, the growled vocals and swirling riffs of “The Pragmatist” give way to a series of killer heavy breakdowns, with a couple interesting time changes thrown in.  Right now, I’m digging this one a lot more than their debut…

Man, I can see why they released “The Gallwasp” as a preview single.  This tune crushes, killer intro/chorus riff that’s sort of a mishmash of Windstein and Pike.  This is the straight goods, right here!  The chugging/growling in the verses complement each other quite nicely, too.  Again, I get the same vibe offa “Bathsheba’s Reply to David’s” instrumental flourishes—and the brief vocal burst sounds absolutely crushing!  All hail the power of the riff!

Let’s just say that if there were more bands like this in Cowtown back when I was growing up, I might never have left…