ONE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED IN 2010: HONCHO’S BATTLE OF WITS

In the latter months of 2010, I got reacquainted and re-enraptured with stoner rock, as reflected by several of the selections in my hand-picked Top 15 Albums of the Year. Over the holiday break, the proverbial ‘munchies’ set in and I found myself raiding dedicated websites like The Soda Shop for more as if they were well-stocked refrigerators and cupboards. In between praise for artists like Gozu, Red Giant, and The Sword, some heretofore unknown delicacies of riffage and groove were presented to me.

Amidst all this gorging, I came across a delectable hard rock morsel imported from Norway: Honcho. Self-released, Battle Of Wits bursts with hard-charging desert blues rock that will suit the discriminating palates of those who favor Queens Of The Stone Age and Monster Magnet over Emperor and Burzum. Though the album cover features a rather unappetizing shot of a Yakuza member with a partially severed finger (story here) throwing the horns, don’t let that discourage you from sinking your teeth into this one. Buy Battle Of Wits direct from the band or from digital download emporiums like Amazon.

And with that, I declare a moratorium on food puns in metal blog posts. Someone call Jennifer Hudson!

-GS