Metal Underground.com

Rocking a Southern metal sound that recalls "Stronger Than Death"-era Black Label Society, Borgo Pass aims to drown you in the sludgy riffs of "Deadwater." And believe me, you'll be more than willing to take the plunge.

James Tamarazzo's vocals immediately bring Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde to mind, with a raspy growl that adds power to tracks like "Rotted Chain" and "Raised By Wolves/Something Different." His quieter moments, especially on "Embrace," are also expertly performed, and almost reminiscent in a way, of Lynrd Skynrd's Ronnie Van Zant. He blends the two styles to perfection on "Sea Of Inverted Crosses."

The grooves that guitarists Tom Crane and Paul Rosado lay down on "Rotted Chain," "The Dogs Know Better" and "Atheist" are wonderfully thick and the solos — especially on "Atheist" — are equally great. Bassist Thomas J. Karcher complements the two ax-men well, with bass parts that snake through the lead lines in ways reminiscent of Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler.

The disc's one less-than-excellent track is "Quint," which tries to ramp up the speed, but borders on cacophony in the intro. The cover (or "tribute track" as the band refers to it) of Black Sabbath's "Tomorrow's Dream" is well-performed, but doesn't add all that much either.

With "Deadwater," Borgo Pass has served up a sonic brew (pun intended) that's heavy as hell, reminiscent of the best works of bands like Black Label Society and Pantera.