Album Review: Earthless - Black Heaven

This San Diego trio, renowned for their epic psych-rock and metal instrumentals that can reach the 20-minute mark, are back with a new album that turns this reputation on its head by way of shorter songs and, most noticeably, the addition of vocals.

Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell steps up to the mic on Black Heaven and it's a move that shifts the dynamic of the band. His singing gives these songs some shape and structure, which was previously subsumed by Earthless' improvisational approach. Once you acclimatise to the change, it makes sense and feels like a refresh of the band's sound. It's Earthless trying something different and, for the most part, it works well.

Opener Gifted By The Wind is a dead ringer for Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil, with Mitchell's voice sitting somewhere between the howl of Ozzy Osbourne and Comets On Fire's Ethan Miller. Electric Flame settles into an insistent Blue Cheer chug - metal boogie of the most contagious kind. Drummer Mario Rubalcaba and bassist Mike Eginton nail their kosmiche-meets-'70s rock precision and groove, anchoring the songs with gravitas while also pushing and pulling them in constantly inventive directions. The title track sends a not-too-subtle nod to Led Zeppelin, albeit in overdrive, with spiralling riffs barely hanging on as the song accelerates into the stratosphere. In contrast, Sudden End goes for an epic lumber and sway with sustained notes. This is Earthless going out on a limb and impressively incorporating new sounds without abandoning their cosmic roots.