Following up their self-titled EP, the Dutch stoners that make up Komatsu are back with a full-length called “Manu Armata” and a new vocalist in the form of Stephan Quint (GodsChosenDealer, Motorbongo).

Opener “A New Low” sounds promising enough with a riff that could tear walls down. After that however, most of the songs lack that special something that would set them apart from just being okay. There are a couple of exceptions. The Queens Of The Stone Age vibe of “Beat You To The Punch” is very welcome and “Kamikaze” sounds exactly like what you’d expect from a song named after a suicide mission. So I’m not saying “Manu Armata” is a bad album… it’s just that a mix of stoner, sludge and rock n roll should be able to hit a little harder, especially if you show right from the get-go that you are capable of wreaking havoc.