The
Ipecac
-issued debut album from the outlier indie rock quartet featuring the
Melvins
'
Buzz Osborne
and
Dale Crover
,
At the Drive-In
's
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
, and
Le Butcherettes
Teri Gender Bender
Crystal Fairy
delivers a surreal blast of sonic pugilism that pairs psych-tinged, stentorian stoner metal with snarling art-punk. True to its members' pedigrees -- and in a rare bit of kismet -- the 11-track set more than lives up to the hyperbolic notion of a supergroup, employing a lethal aural assault that marches to beats both familiar and phantasmagoric.
(real name
Teresa Suarez
) proves once again that she's one of the most versatile vocalists in the heavy music scene, deftly weaving in and out of octaves like a Ducati during rush hour on a four-lane highway -- the aptly named "Drug on the Bus" is a particular tour de force. The band proves adept at switching in and out of gear as well, mercilessly pounding the pavement on propulsive haymakers like "Chiseler" and "Vampire X-Mass," while finding just enough restraint on the more midtempo offerings ("Moth Tongue," "Necklace of Divorce") to allow
TGB
to drive the nail in. Elsewhere,
Osborne
shares the lead on a nerved-up cover of cult Sacramento punk unit
Tales of Terror
's "Possession," and the band goes full-on, trippy early
Jane's Addiction
-inspired psych-metal on the cacophonous "Bent Teeth." The ballsy, groove-laden title track plays to each of the members' strengths, with every piston pumping and cog locking in, sounding for all the world like
Sabotage
-era
Sabbath
fronted by
Danielle Dax
. It's impressive stuff, and that it feels like the work of a much more seasoned crew of bandmates suggests that they had as much fun making it as the listener will have devouring it. ~ James Christopher Monger