Pyramido’s 2009 debut Sand was a decent, if repetitive, exercise in heavy rock sludge. Salt, their sophomore release, improves on Sand in nearly every way, featuring a wider array of influences and more variety. There’s still a problem of running riffs a little too long and the throaty, hoarse roaring vocals are at times overbearing and one dimensional, but overall it is a solid, if unspectacular, release for fans of Iron Monkey, Beaten Back to Pure or Buzzov*en.

Pyramido sound not unlike a stripped down Beaten Back to Pure, albeit with a heavier hardcore gallop. There’s a heavy groove that carries the album and imbues the songs with a swinging momentum. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to succumb to riffoveritis, whereby an otherwise fine riff is run into the ground through too much repetition. What would have been an excellent album full of great heavy riffs becomes a solid album that shows a band inching toward their defining moment.

Opener “Walking Blind” uses tempo changes to great effect, has a nice quiet portion that develops sheets of noise and has one of the strongest, catchiest riffs on the record. It’s easily the highlight of the album. The momentum of “Left to Rot” dies as the middle third of the song stagnates over one riff. “Onward” fairs better with a riff reminiscent of classic Iron Monkey and a more diverse repetition in its last quarter as the drums, guitar and bass play off one another and the riff.  “Hollow Words” lays some black metal riffing over a droning doom riff and squanders it as the band dwells on a bit of chaotic hardcore and “Dr Milton (Destroyer of Worlds)”, becomes static and repetitive, the main riff unnecessarily extending the song.

If anything it shows a band in the midst of a growth period, implementing new ideas and building on their previous work. As if their musical pedigree weren’t enough evidence (the band features ex-members of Burst and Crowpath), they’re a talented bunch who can knock out some killer heavy as fuck riffs that really stick in your craw (“Onward” and “Walking Blind” for starters. Unfortunately there’s a pattern where some portions are extended far too long and other interesting portions are never revisited. The result is more good than bad and for sludge fans Salt is worthy of a few listens. Even if you don’t find yourself revisiting the album, there’s plenty of good riffs and old fashioned sludge to go around.

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