For fans of the stoner rock genre.

Skånska Mord are from Sweden and were formed in 2006 from the ashes of two highly regarded bands, Half Man and Mothercake. All the band members come from the same village in the south of Sweden and have been friends since their teenage years. With a common love of hard rock, they put together their first album ‘The Last Supper’ in 2010 which was well received and was a base upon which to build their new musical project.

If you love the finer moments of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam then the grunge leanings of the wonderfully titled ‘Dark Caves of the Mind’ will hit the mark for you. Janne Bengtsson’s vocals are sombre at times the next like a man screaming for redemption; this helps build the mood of the song which clocks in at just less than six minutes. ‘Addicts’ is a chance for guitar players Patrik Berglin and Petter Englund to let loose some tasty licks and not a lot else, but when its played this well you cannot help but take pleasure in its delivery. The more soulful ‘A Black Day’ comes across somewhat forced and drifts along pleasantly enough, but is somewhat forgettable.

There is a definitive influence of Thin Lizzy and Clutch contained within ‘Lord of Space And Time’, but unfortunately as soon as they song takes flight it hits ground far too soon and drifts off into a more a pretentious approach. Then just as I was finding things getting a little predictable, the band heads into an infectious jazz inspired instrumental workout called ‘Laggassen’ - a song that is worth the price of the album alone. We find ourselves back on familiar territory with ‘The Ambassdeur’ as the deep grooves get under your skin and it is not until the more cheerful chorus that the song takes on a whole new emotion.

Not having any lyrics on offer means most of the songs’ meanings are left to ones own interpretation, but its safe to say that ‘Alien Encounter’ speaks for itself; it’s a weak moment to be honest so I was pleased when things were brought to a more fitting end with ‘Rising’. The song is a no thrills rocker that a band like Down could have easily produced themselves.

For fans of the stoner rock genre ‘Paths To Charon’ is most definitely a worthwhile investigating as a possible addition to your collection.

Ray Paul