Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean turned 16 after Woodstock but before Varg started burning down Norwegian churches.  And yet, until just two short years ago, McBean had lived his entire adolescence and adult life without a proper driver’s license, that first and most coveted ticket to personal independence. When he did finally take the wheel in 2017, he essentially became a Sixteen Year Old for the first time, blowing out the doors off the DMV like a pyrotechnics display at a W.A.S.P. gig. Black Mountain’s new album, Destroyer, named after the discontinued single-run 1985 Dodge Destroyer muscle car, is imbued with all that wild-ass freedom and newfound agency (and anxiety and fear) that comes with one's first time behind the wheel. McBean, welding mask pulled over his Alan Watts beard, has even been rebuilding a 1985 Destroyer in his step-dad’s garage all spring — building it from its frame, putting in weekends of work to have this beast ready for sunnier days. And wouldn’t you know it: when the Destoyer's engine gives its deep snarl and the stereo rattles with Metallica's $5.98 EP, McBean is fully in the driver’s seat.   Destroyer is structured around that first time behind the wheel of a hot rod. The fat, charging “Living After Midnight” riffs of opener “Future Shade” is, according to McBean, “Straight outta the gates. FM radio cranked.” He ain’t kidding. The song, and all of Destroyer for that matter, seems to exist at that crucial nexus of the early-to-mid 80s Los Angeles when a war between punk and hair metal was waged. Black Flag’s My War tried and failed to keep the peace. But in the trenches, some hybrid ghoul was beginning to form in bands like Jane’s Addiction and White Zombie. The heavy extended player “Horns Arising,” with its Night Rider vocals and golden, climbing Blade Runner synths, is a fill-up at a desert gas station just in time to see a UFO hovering near a mesa. . And other songs, like  The serpentine “Boogie Lover” is a cruise down the Sunset Strip. You pull into The Rainbow Bar & Grill to take the edge off. Doesn’t matter what year it is, Lemmy’s there in flesh or spirit. To continue the teenage theme, there’s also a sense of  to these cuts — “High Rise” is a foray into Japanese psych, rounding the bend to a careening, youthful sense of discovery,  while “Closer to the Edge” feeling like falling in love with Yes (Remember how good they were for a minute there in your youth?).  “Licensed to Drive” would easily be the most exhilarating and dangerous ripper on a titular film’s soundtrack, a dose of heavy right before the muscle car’s wheels fly off going 100 mph on the freeway.   Shacked up in his rehearsal space, McBean found an old chair in an alley, spray painted Producer on the back and pressed record.  Friends from the endless rock’n’roll highway were invited over and 22 songs were brought to life. And while some were laid back into shallow graves to dig up once again at a later date, the remaining skeletons were left above ground — given organs, skin, eyes, and the opportunity to grow their hair real long and greasy. Some of these zombie hesher jams were sent on a journey to Canada where longtime band member Jeremy Schmidt, slipping on the Official Collaborator satin jacket, had at them with his legendary synth arsenal. As he added long flowing robes, sunglasses, driving gloves and medallions, the undead songs began to transform into the new breathing creatures that make up Destroyer. Schmidt’s work with these songs was the needed transformative glue for this new era of Black Mountain.   Coming off his newfound automotive freedom, McBean also saw some personnel shuffling within Black Mountain. Both Joshua Wells and Amber Webber have retired their Black Mountain Army uniforms while Arjan Miranda paid his outstanding membership dues and rejoined. New members include Rachel Fannan (Sleepy Sun) and Adam Bulgasem (Dommengang & Soft Kill) plus other familiar names like Kliph Scurlock (Flaming Lips), Kid Millions (Oneida), and John Congleton (St Vincent, Swans) take a turn in the shotgun seat. Collectively, there’s a renewed vitality to Black Mountain on Destroyer — a seasoned, veteran of heady hard rock that’s found new, young muscles to flex and roads to explore.  

Fka Bad Vibes / 21st century music to scalp to

There's a new sheriff in town by the name of Desert Suns. It seems that bands today are having to do more and more to stand out and these fellas have done just that. Where stoner rock, doom, sludge, psychedelic and blues all overlap you get Desert Suns. A San Diego band formed in 2013 by four hefty dudes with enough hair to challenge Cousin Itt to a test of anonymity. Soon after forming they released their single "Burning Temples" January of 2014 which helped them to acquire a great fan base and got them some great reviews. "Some of the doomiest riffs that would make one Mr. Iommi a very happy and proud person" says Bill Goodman in his review of the Desert Suns single Burning Temples. Their debut, self-titled album was released later that year on August 16th 2014 and reassured fans that they were no one-hit wonder and also got them enough attention to book gigs all around the city. This attention is much deserved as the band has a genuine fluidity and a fresh take on how we hear rock. Although the band has the ability to rip out some heavy material that would even get Grandma headbanging, they know how to seduce through gritty Americana thanks to well-placed harmonica and purring vocals. From beginning to end, Desert Suns has compelling hooks, an addictive atmospheric energy and heavy, pulsating beats that get blood boiling with obstreperous energy.