Bog Wizard / Dust Lord split - Four Tales Of The Strange (CD)

Bog Wizard and Dust Lord certainly set about this rejuvenation with their respective debut albums last year, both of which were absolutely brilliant and seemed to add new spirit to an increasingly lethargic scene. The question is though, can they keep this resurrection going on their split EP Four Tales Of The Strange?
Although they both fall into the stoner doom genre, and both bands hail from the states, Dust Lord and Bog Wizard are quite different in their thematic ideas and this generates certain nuances that differentiate their sounds. Dust Lord have more in common stylistically with the dessert rock bands such as Kyuss and Fu Manchu, though their indebtedness to Sleep is also quite evident in their cosmic themes. Bog Wizard employ a much darker sound that is closer to the likes of Conan or Cough. Their tales of grim swamps and fantastical monsters are much more downward looking than Dust Lord, and it comes out in the murky fuzz and punishing riffs. Essentially, Dust Lord are gazing up at the stars while Bog Wizard are staring down into hell.