Blacklight Barbarian

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On a cold February night, somewhere in Northern Kentucky, a clenched fist punches through the dirt of an oft visited grave an old warrior has returned.

Blacklight Barbarian harkens back to the classic Hard Rock of the '70s, when guitar riffs stood as important as any other element of songwriting. With an atomic mid-tempo stomp, eruptive, chunky guitar and open-ended song structures lending a component of Psychedelia, Blacklight Barbarian recalls the anvil-heavy thunder and distant Blues influence of Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, as well as their newer-breed disciples like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. Some call it "Stoner Rock," but Blacklight's brand -- while still impetuous and elastic -- is more focused, less bleary-eyed than most. For proof (other than the lucid production quality), check no further than the songs' lyrics, which exude a philosophical poeticism beyond the faux-mysticism of some of their peers ("Let's go down that open road/Or where it leads we'll never know" goes the chorus to opening track "Tenth Dimension").



Bookended by the sweeping sounds of ocean waves, Blacklight's debut smokes with unfurled intensity, the vocals (handled by both bassist Chris Owens and guitarist Ryan Ferrier) seethe gritty, gutsy soufulness. Ferrier's guitar tone is rich with vintage, warm distortion, while Owens and drummer Scott Whisner have a mind-meld lock that makes them one of the tightest rhythms sections around.



"Mohave" shows the band's progressive sense of writing, as the cut shifts time signatures and feels throughout, the snaking guitar runs giving way to a broad, brash soundscape during the bridge. No track on the EP clocks in under five minutes, but they never feel meandering or self-indulgent. Closing track "Words and Smoke" nears the 10-minute mark, but there's never a wasted movement; the rumbling mid-section features an extensive bluesy, panning guitar solo, but the band's knack for impulsive playing keeps you riveted.

-thanks to mike breen, for these awesome words



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View Blacklight Barbarian's EPK