The album opens with the forcefull bariton vocals that will be present throughout the entire album. The vocals immediately remind me of Danzig, even before I heard any of the music. It might take getting used to this vocal range but eventually it seems to fit in perfectly with the music, giving the whole a vigorous feel. When the music finally kicks in, we really are on a blistering hot stoner journey.
88 Mile Trip seems to be influenced by bands like Black Sabbath, Kuyss, Karma To Burn and so on. Those influences are almosts continuously present, mainly of course in the fuzzy, groovy sound of the whole. Yet, halfway through 'Serpent Queen' I can't help but feel as if I'm thrown back into the seventies and listening to glorious guitar solos by the likes of Iommi or Hendrix. Hell, there's even a bit of funk in that bass.
For the main part, the songs on this album are highly enjoyable pieces of stoner rock, well-able to get some heads nodding and some asses shaking. Furthermore, the whole feels so exceptionally vintage that it really is hard to believe that this band was founded in 2013. Their loyalty to traditional rock and hard rock styles is stunning. In fact, 'Burn the Saints' sounds like one of the oldest stoner rock songs ever, would that be possible.
Besides some good ol' fashioned rocking, there's always some room for a psychedelic jamsession, which adds a highly organic feel to the music. I think that aspect of this music will be the most successful at live performances. I can imagine the barely dressed dancing girls clearly when I listen to 'The Awakening' or 'Sacred Stone'. It's a nice to imagine, no? At least a lot better than imagining a barely dressed Glenn Danzig.
Serge