David Eugene Edwards and his posse of Denver dreamers mix melancholia and dark grandeur to make an album that touches on good-time traditional folk-punk but overall sounds more like John Barry collaborating with Nick Cave.

The opening, "Clogger" - with its rumbling bass and lead banjo - is controlled by a singer who sounds like a sort of demented preacher, which reflects Edwards' upbringing listening to Old Testament tales of hell and damnation. The distorted vocal parts indicate that 16 Horsepower would be distinctly unwelcome in the folk clubs of America, which makes the inclusion of traditional ballad "Wayfaring Stranger" (and Bob Dylan's "Nobody 'Cept You") all the more unsettling yet perfect. The dark, brooding,string-laden "Cinder Alley" is where this album really kicks off - Ennio Morricone sounds underscoring Edwards' ranting vocals and a searing guitar solo reminiscent of The Edge in the desert.

Ah hell, let's face it, there's a whole posse of Irish bands (from Whipping Boy to Turn) who've tried to conquer this kind of big music but end up sounding like poor imitations of The Sisters Of Mercy rather than the resulting epic vision on offer here. The mix of Southern blues, Appalachian folk and even bluegrass is merged with more traditional rock dynamics to create one powerful and evil-sounding mix. Like a mixture of Johnny Cash, Nick Cave and The Handsome Family, 16 Horsepower's vision is unique, powerful and damning of others who've tried and failed to make records of such grandeur.