Stöner Totally…
HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS
More High Desert high jinks.
The clue is in the name, and the main players have significant form, of course. Having set out their weed-smoke-wreathed stall with studio debut Stoners Rule and Live In The Mojave Desert, Brant Bjork (guitars/ vocals) and Nick Oliveri (bass/ vocals) return for more superfuzzy sun-baked riffery, with the former’s solo band drummer Ryan Gut efficiently nailing those tight-but-loose rhythms.
A couple of guest appearances – guitarists Greg Hetson (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks) and Mario Lalli (Yawning Man) – switch things up a bit, but essentially it’s about the cosmic chemistry cooked up between the main trio, and there’s plenty of that to be had. Concise blasters such as opener Party March and A Million Beers focus on good times, and the wonky riffing of Driving Miss Lazy injects a healthy dose of sludgy weirdness. But it’s the lengthy jams Space Dude & The Burn and Great American Sage that really take off, Oliveri and Bjork’s rough and smooth vocals jousting for dominance and the grimy riffs attaining a hypnotic level of bonged-out bliss.
A consummate lesson in High Desert grooviness.
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Essi Berelian
Church Of The Cosmic Skull
There Is No Time SEPTAPHONIC
Finally, a cult worth joining.
British fauxgospel prog rockers Church return with this splendorous fourth album. It’s an entirely enigmatic project led by singer/ guitarist Bill Fisher, and the band’s mystical origins and white-robed stage attire carry all the trappings of