DESTROYER | BLACK MOUNTAIN

11.11.19 Another kick-ass Vancouver band. I had their strong self titled debut from 2005 and I have not really kept up since. That was until I saw this album cover with the monolithic 80s style tower speaker on the crashing ocean and I said to me, I am in on this one. Perusing through their last 15 years it seems they have had some line up changes but have kept up their brand of interesting hard rock.

On Destroyer Black Mountain employs those 80s Dio or Rainbow style keyboard backing and electronic vocals, like Styx’s “Mr Roboto”. Frontman Stephen McBean and Amber Webber’s paired vocals sound almost like John Doe and Exene Cervenka, of early 80s punk group X. I wish more groups went this psychedelic/stoner/space rock route rather than becoming something horrible like a nu-metal band (Korn, System of a Down, Godsmack, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Disturbed…YUK!). Nu metal is probably the worst sub-genres there is next to post-grunge.

Bill Golembeski at Soundblad writes: This is a great hard rock psych album. Now, Black Mountain has never hidden its love of 70’s rock. The first album was a smorgasbord of heavy riffs, Pink Floyd space, some acoustic stuff, and a lot of Neil Young and Crazy Horse guitar rock. So, expect the expected—in an unexpected way.

Fast forward to their fourth album (IV), and the band hit on all tough cylinders. The first tune, “Mothers of the Sun” is heavy, at times lightly acoustic, with sonics that stretch into near perfection of big guitar Black Sabbath Led Zeppelin drama.  The entire album is a joy to old ears. The final tune, “Space to Bakersfield” was a wah-wah New Jerusalem eclipse of the still beaming 70’s sun. . . .