Samothrace mix a lot of "stoner" influences into their heady broth, namely bluesy soloing and slowed down southern rock chord progressions. Vocalist Bryan Spinks sports an escalating howl that evokes an unforgiving windstorm in his own right, and his guitar interplay with Renata Castagna is something unrefined and unique... basically as far as you can get from Sabbath and still remain within the doom genre. Spinks' lyrics are sparse and utilitarian in keeping with the sustained drawl of the rhythm section: "clashed their might / lives will / what we've left / cruel awake"... clipped and inconclusive, inviting interpretation, or maybe just too weary to seek fulfillment. Morose yet challenging, Samothrace are a band to watch in 2009.