The music of Down River seems to be described often with Queens of the Stone Age. Now, the up-tempo stoner rock might have some comparisons with that one, but I think fans from bands like Hermano will be more pleased with Down River. For a first album, the sound is very nice with the emphasis on the guitar riffs, either in the form of chords or solo’s and much more than their brothers and sisters, this band is very suitable to dance on.

First song ‘Anti-Demon Multiplier’ has a great heavy riff in which the vocals are showing some good vocal lines. Second song ‘Better Days’ has an even greater sense for melodies. Especially the vocal lines are very catchy, yet they remain interesting after hearing them a few more times. Also, the variation among the first songs on the album is well worked out. But then we come to the second part.

And this is where I start to wonder. You know those concerts where a band seems to be jamming, turning the speed of the music down to an annoying level which makes you feel lame when the final song, the song you’ve been waiting for, kicks in? That’s what happens on Down River as well. I’d say that the album needs to be shortened and that half of the songs 6 to 10 can be skipped in order to make the music more vital. Right now I’ve got the feeling that the band came up with some fillers in order to create a full-length and I’m sure that wasn’t the purpose of a band that seem to be working hard to promote themselves.

If you’re into party-stoner rock, this just has to be your band, no matter what. However, I hope that the quality of the songs remains high after this debut album as is present in the first five songs. In that case, Down River could be a very well-known act in the circuit.