In the Tail of a Comet

The stoner rock phenomenon that took off in the 1990s wasn't limited to one country. The U.S. and England gave us a lot of bands, and Scandinavia has also provided its share of stoner rockers. In Scandinavian countries, it is generally assumed that an outfit will sing and write in English, which is exactly what Swedish band Dozer does on In the Tail of a Comet. Like many stoner units, Dozer is heavily influenced by Black Sabbath — the influence of Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is especially strong on "Captain Spaceheart," "Inside the Falcon," and "Grand Dragon." But the vocals aren't very Osbourne-like, and the faster songs tend to be less Sabbath-minded than the slower ones. When the tempos are increased they bring to mind early Metallica more than anything. But whatever the tempo, the electric guitars are consistently fuzzy, which is one of stoner rock's trademarks. In the Tail of a Comet falls short of exceptional, but it's a satisfying effort that has more plusses than minuses.