Egypt

This Fargo, North Dakota trio’s eponymous 2009 album opens with the doomy tones of “Valley of the Kings” where guitar player Ryan Grahn contrasts post-psychedelic Tony Iommi-inspired leads with bouncy wah-wah affected riffs. In trying to approximate the throaty howls of a young Ozzy Osbourne, Aaron Esterby creates his own style, sounding like a more vocally proficient version of Jason Simon from Dead Meadow. The nearly ten-minute long “Queen of All Time (Red Giant)” boasts some dirty, fuzzy, bass riffs that open alongside drummer Chad Heille’s cymbal work, unfolding into a solid meat-and-potatoes rhythm that tromps along before the chorus breaks open halfway through, making for a harder attack on everyone’s part. With rootsy blues-based leads, “Dirty Witch” is a welcome segue into some heavy boogie-rock.