Earth Sick Mind, the debut full length from Dusted Angel, eases the listener in with some undistorted electric guitar and directionless snare tapping. It only takes a couple of minutes for the first of many gripping stoner/doom/rock riffs to fire up from there, though. Vocalist Clifford Dinsmore wondered aloud upon hearing the band’s music for the first time “Jesus, is this the lost Kyuss record?” While Kyuss may be the dominant analog, there are other genre touchstones to be encountered as well. The vocal stylings and overall rock ‘n’ roll sensibility present are reminiscent of Kylessa while the more stonerish aspects call Karma to Burn to mind. Perhaps the most distinguishing element, though, is the hint of Baroness that peeks from behind the rock curtain at times. The subtle sounds of that band that appear frequently at the opening or closing of songs weave Earth Sick Mind together as something a little more special than most records of this ilk.

Vocalist Dinsmore may be known to readers from his work in the groups B’last!, Spaceboy, or Gargantula. Drummer Bill Torgerson also was a member of B’last! Dusted Angel released a 7 inch in October of 2009 which featured the tracks The Thorn and Valium 5. Earth Sick Minds includes The Thorn (first track) but not Valium 5. Dinsmore has a far-off sort way of hollering out his lyrics that fades them in and out and leads one to picture an under-the-weather rock man wavering aroung the mic stand.

Seeking the Dawn, the second track on the record, is an especially groovy manifestation of the stoner aesthetic parlayed by Dusted Angel, bringing the low end and picking up the pace to come out sounding a little like Howl, Black Tusk, or Javelina (all good bands, by the way). Scottstober, track 4 begins with a touch of psychedelia which gives way to a foreboding riff. Bass drums enter and the blood begins to run down the mountainside. The album closes with the title track, probably the most raucous jam encountered here.

Picked from the widest possible pile, Earth Sick Mind would stand head and shoulders above most of its contemporaries, but it does suffer a little from its homogeneity and from a certain laziness that … oh wait, it’s stoner music. Yeah, this is a pretty good record. If you like any of the bands mentioned herein, you should check these guys out.