Don’t be afraid by the length of the songs; really don’t be, because in every single one of them there is something special, something heavy, catchy, technical and sort of progressive.

In The Shadow of The Black Palm Tree… Jesus that’s a long name! Maybe as long as most of the tracks in here, so it fits perfectly; these Californian band presents it’s debut in the form of a suspense pack record, a record full of sometimes repetitive tunes, that stand on the simple notion of memorable riffs and a hard pounding amazing drum work by Mr. Holt. The songs can transform into a blend of progg doom at times, just pay attention to The Occidental Apology, a mid tempo drum “extravaganza” with an old school flavor to it that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Chingalera puts a couple of lyrics, very few to be precise, so few that you wonder why they decided to add some at all, still the short incursions of Mr. Gibney are remarkable and they serve a purpose, increasing the capacity of the songs to be burned into your memory and that is why this record is so good, because it takes all the expertise and out of the ordinary writing skills of these guys and place it on a level that is easy to understand and appreciate.

That last monster of 23 minutes (Better Living Through Chemistry) consists on pretty much two songs split apart by a long period of silence, been the second part the best, a sort of Voivod feeling runs through the veins of that segment, one of the heaviest moments on the album.

The album comes with a DVD a sort of “making of” really a great addition, watching the guys getting ready for the recording and the recording sessions themselves, portraying a more realistic and natural feeling to all the songs once you have seen the guys get at it.

This is one of those albums that could easily become one day a cult record, so why don’t you get a copy of it?