To be able to get away with shameless imitation, you need to do two things; be remarkably accomplished – i.e. not your dad’ s Exodus cover band – and be able to pull off a knowing wink that says ‘ hey, sure, you and I know this is incredibly derivative but is that really going to stop you banging along!?’

Asomvel are one of these rare entities that manage both of these things. There are literally no misconceptions about what World Shaker (Heavy Psych Sounds) is – between the thunderous basslines, bullet belts, and eerily familiar facial hair, this record is a fully-fledged love letter to NWOBHM progenitors Motorhead. That’ s not to take away from this album in its own right though.

If the core of heavy metal is about taking pure energy and bottling it, World Shaker is the equivalent of an HGV worth of magnums. Every track on this record is an air-punching, chant-with-us rock n’ rollercoaster that essentially demands a live setting to appreciate it in its full glory.

As you might expect from a band that takes a lot of their leads from Motorhead, World Shaker finds a groove and sticks firmly in the middle of it. Having said that, there are still plenty of standouts – ‘True Believer’ has an absolutely electric thunderer of a bassline that throbs like a Royal Blood track turned up to 11, ‘ The Law Is The Law’ has an insatiable stomp and groove riff while ‘ Smokescreen’ is just a consummately excellent heavy metal cut.

Paying homage to the much missed Lemmy and his compatriots can get you a long way in a fiercely loyal metal world, but let’ s be honest, tedious NWOBHM nostalgia-hunters are ten a penny.

Asomvel are not your village cover band and they ply their trade with absolute aplomb – guitar solos are note-perfect, Ralph Robinson’ s snarl is delivered with a lip-curling sneer and lyrics like “you’ re not yourself when you’ re hungry” prove that this threesome aren’ t afraid to laugh at themselves.

In many ways, this is the best sort of celebratory rock n roll record, but without being pig-headed or boorish. It might not have the onion-like layers of a Deafheaven album, but that’ s certainly not what Asomvel have set out to do with World Shaker. Sometimes you just need to raise a glass of Jack and Coke and let the good times wash over you.

8 / 10

DAVID KEEVILL