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Led by seven-foot tall singer Brandon Kistler, Rainbows Are Free from Norman, Oklahoma have been making a name for themselves thanks to their well-received debut album, and by sharing bills with the likes of Black Mountain and Dead Meadow.

Although failing to live up to the demented promise of the gloriously titled Speed God And The Rise Of The Motherfuckers From A Place Beyond Hell, the group’s sound is a sometimes uncanny replication of the kind of proto-metal that could be found bothering the UK rock-club circuit of the early 70s. There are strident monster-riffs, convoluted arrangements and testicle-shredding vocals on titles such as Sonic Demon and ripsnorting closer Comet.

While throwing southern rock, behemoth doom and prog-psych into their churning cauldron, Rainbows Are Free may well find a rabid new crowd with today’s audiences who weren’t privileged to experience this kind of thunderous stoner whoopee the first time around.

Kris Needs is a British journalist and author, known for writings on music from the 1970s onwards. Previously secretary of the Mott The Hoople fan club, he became editor of ZigZag in 1977 and has written biographies of stars including Primal Scream, Joe Strummer and Keith Richards. He's also written for MOJO, Record Collector, Classic Rock, Prog, Electronic Sound, Vive Le Rock and Shindig!