Earthless - Black Heaven album review

After years of releasing instrumental stoner jams in small batches of two or three extended tracks at a time, San Diego’s peyote-eyed power trio have adopted a more conventional approach on their fourth studio outing. Most notable is the introduction of guitarist Isaiah Mitchell’s vocals, and it’s a change so welcome as to beg the question: what the hell took them so long? On the utterly ripping End To End, Isaiah’s soulful vox dovetail seamlessly into the band’s smouldering electric blues attack, while Electric Flame showcases a mighty encapsulation of the speed and potency that gather when the trio fall into their rhythmic pocket. Recorded in the same studio where stoner rock pioneers like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age cut their teeth, the new material erupts with vitality and inspiration. Closing with the slow psychedelic burn of Sudden End, Black Heaven is a trip well worth taking.