Bay State Desert Rawk?!?! Sure, why not. Boston’s definitely got the Rawk aspect down so why wouldn’t we be throwing generator parties of our own as well especially on an album that’s just oozing with the same vibes that once conjured Blues For The Red Sun. And that’s just what Sundrifter do on their elaborate third LP called An Earlier Time which is filled with majestic riffs, soaring vocals, and fuzzed out feels the moment that “Limitless” cruises in straight through until the closing ethereal hymnal of “Last Transmission” fades out.
Sandwiched in between are plenty more elevated elements that sees the trio up their game tremendously placing them in the upper echelons of those hallowed Heavy Rawk heavens. And is it any wonder why when you hear a track like “Space Exploration” with Craig Peura playing both Jekyll and Hyde with the way his guitar tones crush while his voice caresses those earholes with its’ smooth delivery? Then add bassist Paul Gaughran and drummer Patrick Queenan into the mix for a fierce and formidable rhythmic beast and it all just clicks. “Nuclear Sacrifice” is a clear example of that clickage (Not a word) and the way the combined musicianship of the trio creates a sort of musical cyclone that just goes round and round, getting bigger and badder with every turn as Peura’s vocal lines act as sort of that calm eye of the storm.
Elsewhere, “Prehistoric Liftoff” is a sludgy number with some steady stick work from Queenan amidst Peura and Gaughran’s guitar and bass stuff blurring together for this buzzsaw-like riff fest with “Begin Again” definitely hearkening back to the year 1992 and a certain legendary Desert Rawk outfit to start with the way all the sounds intertwine before heading off in a decidedly more psychedelic-fueled territory. “Want You Home” hums loudly and then kind of transcends that flavor of Rawk in favor of a more QOTSA forward feel especially with the croon that Peura emits with “Final Chance” offering one last blast of big, bodacious Rawk before the aforementioned “Last Transmission” drifts off into the ether.
An Earlier Time lands on February 16th through Small Stone Recordings. You can pre-order your copy now by heading here and for more from Sundrifter, follow them across the interwebs by clicking here or here.