October 26, 2009

Album review: Lightning Bolt - 'Earthly Delights' (Load)

Kings of noise beat up the jams

8 / 10 For the uninitiated the mighty Bolt are art students from Providence, Rhode Island. Brian Gibson plays bass and Brian Chippendale plays drums, often with a mask made out of a pillowcase on his head and a mic in his mouth so he can ‘sing’. Together they make a sound not unlike an angry volcano god jizzing hot magma into your ears. Live they are kings of the guerrilla gig, playing at intense volumes in the middle of their crowd, often causing pandemonium. On record some of this context is lost, but the band make up for it by plumping for overdriven, live-in-the-studio performances. Out of the lo-fi punk/hardcore/black metal bedrock clatter of sound they create, lysergic and buzzing riffs clarify gloriously before melting back into chaos.

John Doran

Click here to get your copy of Lightning Bolt's 'Earthly Delights' from the Rough Trade shop.