SHEAVY - CELESTIAL HI-FI / DOUBLE LP 2000

Newfoundland's Sheavy loves Black Sabbath. Their singer, Steve Hennessy, sounds like -- no, virtually impersonates -- Ozzy Osbourne. Get the picture? With that bit of trivia out of the way, let it be known that their third effort, 2000's Celestial Hi-Fi, makes no apologies for the band's obvious source of inspiration. Album highlights like "Hyperfaster," "What's up, Mr. Zero?," and "Solarsphere" resemble sonic snapshots of prime-era Black Sabbath, simply updated with modern recording technology and augmented with a elements of space rock (see "At the Mountains of Madness," the title track, etc.). Understandably, some purists will take issue to what often sounds like the best Sabbath karaoke or tribute act ever assembled, but these should consider themselves forewarned right here and now. And if placed in a historical vacuum, Celestial Hi-fi qualifies as a pretty good psychedelic doom album. For those interested in the latter category, this is a recommended release.