(In this post NCS contributor Austin Weber reviews the debut album by a New Jersey band named El Drugstore.)

After Kevin Conway departed East Of The Wall last year, it didn’t take him long to release something new, through a project called El Drugstore and their debut album Plague Ship. Rounding out El Drugstore’s line-up is current East Of The Wall drummer Seth Rheam, and bassist Roland Alvarado. While sonic comparisons to East Of The Wall could be made, compositionally El Drugstore is playing an entirely different game. In fact, the biggest similarity to East Of The Wall actually has nothing to do with the music, but the song titles, which are oddly funny and reminiscent of the song titles way back on East Of The Wall’s first full-length, Farmer’s Almanac.

El Drugstore often reminds me of the mind-numbing dexterity and style of fellow instrumental metallers Electro Quarterstaff, both structurally and riff/drum-wise, especially during “Wheel Of Sadness” and “The Natives Are Getting Useless”, and at certain parts of other songs. The heart of the rest of their identity resides somewhere between Botch, Keelhaul, and Dysrhythmia. Continue reading »