Introducing: Holy Grove

Who: Andrea Vidal (vocals), Trent Jacobs (guitar), Gregg Emley (bass) and Adam Jelsing (drums).

For fans of: The Melvins, mosh pits, old Portland cemeteries.

Sounds like: A black hole of endless, heavy guitar, with deep, smoky female vocals as the light at the end of the riffage.

Nobody in Holy Grove has ever had high expectations.

So far, the band has been largely guided by a looseness that dates back to its spontaneous formation in 2012, when the members all met on Craigslist.

But for the first time, they're thinking of aiming for at least a little bit more. They just released their first album, and are set to go on a European tour this fall.

"We want to get on the road and see where we can go," says guitarist Trent Jacobs. "I don't think anyone is trying to be a rock star, but we're trying to do as much of it as we can."

Two years in the making, the self-titled album is the result of a laborious recording process with producer Billy Anderson, the Portland metal engineer whose credits include the Melvins, Swans and Sleep. It showcases the two things that set Holy Grove apart from other hard-rock bands: its ability to tread the waters between metal, psychedelic, hard rock and blues; and Andrea Vidal's annihilatingly powerful vocals.

"She can be sort of aggressive vocally, but she's got that soul to her voice," Jacobs says. "I think that's especially rare these days with heavy bands."

Holy Grove's songs are full of stomping beats, overdriven guitar and distinctly doomy lyrics, but Vidal's soulful voice grounds the band, adding a welcome melodic accessibility to the music. Holy Grove dips its toes into the classic-rock lineage of bands like Deep Purple as well, without fully committing to any one genre. It is simply born out of people coming together with the simple intention of making music. Everything else is a bonus.

"We're all just people with day jobs trying to make the band work," Jacobs says. "It's an interesting time right now. We'll do it as long as we're all still having fun. If that's 20 years, awesome. If that's two more years, awesome."

SEE IT: Holy Grove plays the High Water Mark, 6800 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., with Demon Eye and Disenchanter, on Friday, April 15. 9 pm. $10. 21+.

Willamette Week