Look, I’m as confused as you are about PENTAGRAM’s status, discography, and line-up. But here’s what matters for now: this is indeed a new slab from the doom legends, weirdo vocalist Bobby Liebling is still behind the mic and riffmaster general Victor Griffin has returned to lay down the time-stoppingly good doom rock riffage, so all is good. The band has always had a strange split personality, going from up-tempo doomsday rock that’s a total buzzkill but also completely catchy (here, see album highlight ‘Call The Man’) and kinda lame old-man bar rock (‘Everything’s Turning To Night’ skirts cool Sabbathian doom and cheeseball dad-at-the-inn cover material, the former winning in a photo finish thanks to that riff at 1:03). The unfortunately (and not ironically) named ‘Windmills And Chimes’ really finds the band relaxing and doing the acoustic countryside thing, which Liebling’s voice isn’t exactly suited for, if we’re being honest. But the weak parts make up maybe 1/5th of the album (and we always give Pentagram that leeway anyway, because their awesomeness more than makes up for their missteps); the rest is excellent plodding doom with classic ‘70s guitar riffing sensibilities (see ‘American Dream’ and ‘Walk In Blue Light’, feel the power). It’s Griffin’s album, no doubt: he knows how to deliver the goods, as the riffing on ‘Into The Ground’ shows, where he almost lazily kicks the ass of any modern doom and stoner rock band. Last Rites is another strange, eccentric, understated victory for Pentagram, and shows them in the best form they’ve been in for some time.