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This is, apparently, not the same as the German band called Doomstone. These guys are from the US, and I don't think they are around anymore. I'd say that was too bad, but this really isn't that good.

This is very basic stuff that is obviously highly influenced by the Venom of old. Now I am not a big fan of old Venom, but even I can admit they were fun at times. This disc is fun at times as well, but those times are a bit too far between. It is still possible to get cool stuff with this style, as Goat Horn have recently proved, but Doomstone are nowhere near that talented. Here and there they manage to conjure up some good riffing, as on "Welcome To The Ceremony" or "Ultimate Lust", but too often they settle for boring song structures that leave only the vocalist's Cronos-like gargling as a focus for the song. The recording is iffy, which is no surprise, but this CD is a textbook example of the importance of mixing properly, as the loudness of the various parts in relation to each other wanders all over the place. The lead sound is way louder than the rhythm sound, the snare is too quiet, the vocals are loud one minute, soft the next. It's very distracting.

The cover art is terrible, but the simple 2-page booklet is actually more entertaining than the music. You get some ranting about Black Metal and how much it sucks, and then a curse pronounced on someone named Roberto Cannavo of Nosferatu records. Plus some nice nudie pics of Penthouse hottie Julia Garvey. Too bad there are no lyrics, as I bet they'd be a hoot.

For a diehard Venom worshipper, this might be worth a look. But I really can't recommend this CD except as maybe a novelty. The music isn't aggressively terrible, but it really isn't very good either. Too bad.