the Black Angels : "Wilderness of Mirrors"

The 6th album by the Texas opens with the kind of hypnotic throb you want from them. It has a dark drone to it that creates a haunting pulse as layers of sound swirl around it. The ebb this sound down for the more rocked out "History of the Future". The reverb drowned vocals occupying a similar space. The bass bring more of a thump to drive the groove of "Empires Falling". The vocals have a clearer narrative as singer Alex Maas awakes from his stoned lethargy.  There is more of a 60s pysch-pop feel to "El Jardin" it's pretty well written not as upbeat as what Neil Diamon write for the Monkees , but heading in that direction. Dynamic it packs more of punch. 

The bleak groove to "La Pared" is a mesmerizing motion driven by the bass line.  There is more of strut in the step of "Firefly"  "Make it Known' is more grandiose in its sonic scope. The slinky manner it slithers around in the bath of atmosphere is not unlike later period Radiohead. One of the album's better vocal performances so far. The melodic guitar line that drips around the groove works really well. The lonely western strum of acoustic guitar on "the River" creates a cool mood, for the 60s sounding amble. The title track also latches onto a more 60s based sound, but while doing so they never get bogged down in being retro or basically make the kind of power pop that is garage rock.

"Here & Now" works off a more urgent folk strum. I like the vocals more emotive quality here. They continue to wander through a dreamy garden of space sounds as the album progresses. To say they are like a cross between early Pink Floyd and Stone Roses on this album would basically be saying they are a variation of Radiohead. Less introspective and more expansive in their drug use would be the best way to handle this comparison. The way they wander gives them more common ground with progressive rock than indie rock. There is more of a freak out boogie to "A Walk on the Outside".  "Vermillion Eyes" ambles down the same Absinth laced paths we have already danced down. "Icon" is more rock based and moves with more attitude in it's undercurrent not unlike back when the Rolling Stones were taking acid. There is an interesting array of ambient sounds sparkling from the corners of the last song. I will give this album a 9.5, for now and see how it sits with me, over all the scop of what they do and the context of how they do it is next level shit from the past that sounds just as original today.  

the Top 10 Rock Albums of 2017

Rock is anything that is rooted in the blues origins, here there are many different brands of rock some harder than others. It's less heavy than metal, with typically more attitude than any genre except may be punk. Some of these bands are hard rock, but not heavy enough to make even the main stream metal list I am going to be working on. This year on all the lists I am including a reason why it beat out the album under it, to provide some clarity. Rather than obsess over what belongs where I defaulted to what Last Fm said I listened to more. In some cases the answer is a little more complicated that. I have included in most cases links to the reviews so you can get a bigger picture. So I'll let you read this list for yourself and stop with the commentary.

10- Atomic Bitchwax- "Force Field" 

10- Atomic Bitchwax- "Force Field"

This album is a lot of fun, they are typically thought of as stoner rock, but the bpms are dialed way up on this album. Maybe it's the cocaine, which is all the more reason this one is just partying rock n roll. Sure they race off in a cloud of bong smoke when the album gets going , but it's in your face attitude gives you the middle finger in the most upbeat manner possible.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-atomic-bitchwax-force-field.html

9-Crystal Fairy-s/t

The singer from Bosnian Rainbows fronts this super that combines  Buzz Osborne  with the dudes . While she steals the show they churn out some rock that is both burly and angular , almost slightly Zeppelin but through a filter of sludged rock n roll. More dynamics than Atomic Bitchwax.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/02/crystal-fairy-st.html

8-The Black Angels- "Death Song"

 The opening track off their new album "Death Song" holds all the qualities that originally attracted me to their sound. It's dark and sonic with a exotic pulse. Though the bulk of the album finds them drifting out into a more Stone Roses like psychedelia. More depth in the song writing than Crystal Fairy.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-black-angels-death-note.html

7-Ryan Adams- "Prisoner" 

 This album is pretty introspective but still manage to rock as it is balanced out  with  punches and melody in a manner not unlike some of Tom Petty's more rockin moments from the late 70's -early 80's. Classic rock styled guitar solos are sprinkled in the album though less frequent than say War on Drugs.  Adams vocals still carry the twang I associate with his work . More depth of feeling to the vocals on this one than the Black Angels.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/01/ryan-adams-prisoner.html

 6- Quicksand-"Interiors"

This band is under rated, I think they are more like a post-hardcore version of Tool, as they almost could hang with Maynard and the boys until after "Undertow" then the drugs kicked in and Tool got the unfair advantage. Well if you think Tool takes a long time to make an album this once took 22 years. The opening song is strong , it sounds like these guys are back in true form even if the guitarist got kicked off the tour for trying to steal from a drug store, every body has their shit.  The syncopation is there and the guitar sound is dialed in. More groove than Ryan Adams.

5- Mastodon-" Emperor of Sand"

 Overall this might be the band's best album since "Crack the Skye" so it will be making the much envied trip over to my iPod and then I will see how it stands the test of time. For now I'll round it up to a 9.5 as some of the songs that didn't hook me in as strongly as the groovier poppier numbers still have room to grow on me. Better vocal hooks than Quicksand.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/mastodon-emperor-of-sand.html

4-Royal Thunder- 'Wick" 

 A more organic feel to this one. While it's a step in more of a hippie rock direction away from "Crooked Doors" they have grown as musicians and this became a album I never go tired of. It had more emotion to it than Mastodon so that why it is here at number four.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/03/royal-thunder-wick.html

3- Chelsea Wolfe- "Hiss/ Spun"

This is the first album that is not a hard left turn in another direction and works off a similar formula to it's predecessor. The heavier dynamics are much more metallic and even has guests coming in to donate harsher vocals. So perhaps she is reconciling her self to her metal fan base...is that selling out ? If it is then it's on her own terms. The albums more powerful moments put it where it is. Even in my mild disappointment that she was not striking out on new ground again, it still drew me in an earned the listens to be here in fact perhaps more than the top two albums, but I feel the top two bands went out on a limb and stepped forward into more new ground which is why they beat her out, though it's a more powerful album than Royal Thunder.


http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/07/chelsea-wolfe-hiss-spun.html

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My thoughts on the whole Jesse Lacey are here...
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-strange-case-of-jesse-lacey.html.

I really only care about the music, in fact what kind of music that is worth two shits don't have a member who is a train wreck, it's only rock n roll. On further listens this album grew on me and looks at some of his mental health issues. They took more risks and struck new ground in a more rock direction while Chelsea Wolfe heated up the leftovers from her previous album.


 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/brand-new-science-fiction-full-album.html
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1- Queens of the Stoneage- "Villians"

. I needed them to quit playing around and rock out. While they did not return to the kind of aggression that kicks you face, they do rock out in more of a coked out 70s manner. In interviews Homme has called what they do a rock version of electronic music and I can hear that in some of the grooves n this album. It's clear years in the vocal booth have improved Homme's singing . He has always had a pleasant voice, but showcases his croon to a fuller extent on this one. The album grew on me to earn it's place here. Brand New could have been in this place to, I defaulting to Last Fm on this one to break the tie.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/08/queens-of-stoneage-villains.html

the Black Angels : "Death Song"

I first came across this band when their music appeared on the second season of True Detective. The opening track off their new album "Death Song" holds all the qualities that originally attracted me to their sound. It's dark and sonic with a exotic pulse. There is rawer rambling rock kick with a touch of western to "I'd Kill For Her ". The vocals are sung in tentative  tenor that reminds me of many of the psychedelic garage rock bands from the 60s. There is a more relaxed feel to the almost ballad "Half Believing" .  The drumming on "Comanche Moon" reminds me a little of Hendrix's "Manic Depression". The vocals are more languid as an almost Stone Roses like haze is cast over the collection of swirling sonics.

The comparison's the Stone Roses era of Brit Pop could still be drawn in regards to the groove propelling "Hunt Me Down". They admit to being dope fiends on "Grab as Much". This song does have a drugged sluggishness to it despite being somewhat upbeat. They come back stronger with the more honest and intimate drone of " Estimate". There is a more snake like motion to the more upbeat "I Dreamt". It comes closer to rocking out than some of the albums more drugged out earlier moments. The pace gets marginally brisker with another ode to drugs on "Medicine". The keyboards bring another shade from the 60's into what they are doing.

The vocals drop into a lower effected murmur on "Death March" . I like it a lot as is it's much darker almost to the point of sounding like some of Psychic TV's more death rock like moments. There is the lazy space dirge "Life Song" that ends the album by floating away with it. This album recreates a mood I haven't heard since I used to get stoned to the Stone Roses senior year of high-school,so I'll round it up to a 9.



9.