There’s no mistaking the sound of Lightning Bolt once you’ve been acquainted. With that being said it speaks for the band’s superior stock that each new album still engages enough that they never sound like they’re retreading the same ground. Fantasy Empire is the latest full length from the RI duo, the first in six years. Brace yourselves, because it sounds like these two weren’t just twiddling their thumbs over the interim.
Like I said anyone who’s had even an inital introduction to Lightning Bolt’s music will probably recognize the tortured banjo string squawk giving way to the all-encompassing low-end bath that bassist Brian Gibson hits us with right out of the gate on this album’s first track. One observation that listeners may be quick to make is that even though the sound is LB, the riff itself is go-for-the-throat punk/metal. This is a trend that continues throughout a good portion of Fantasy Empire and does a good bit to set it apart from the rest of the duo’s discography. Don’t get me wrong, LB have always been heavy, but it’s hard for me to remember their riffs ever being this balls-out. While Lightning Bolt have always been far more on the border of avant-guarde than you typical heavy band, enough so that you can’t really call them “punk” or “metal”, you’ll still be hard pressed not to bang your head to this. While the second track, “Over the River and Through the Woods” starts off with the same aggression there seems to be some reverb peaking through on Brian’s bass in a surprisingly melodic moment more than halfway in. This is far from the extent of the sonic variety you get here, an array of effects, synth noise, and Brian Chippendale’s signature vocals also help bring these songs to life.
Tracks 4 and 5 take enough of a break from the aggression to change into a more colorful, classic LB arrangement, but both tracks are still dominated by a heavy fuzz. The track “Dream Genie” is a buffet of awesome bass tones and killer riffs, with the opening sounding so heavy that it almost sounds like the sound itself could give way and fall apart. The last track actually does kind of fall apart, but it does so in glorious, smoldering fashion that should be a delight to sludge fans. And personally the bright burst of noise in “Leave the Lantern Lit” made me wish it was more than twice as long.
As is the norm on this site I’ve spent alot of time talking about the bass, but no one can mention the merit of Lightning Bolt without praising both equally important halfs. Brian Chippendale’s powerhouse drums are potentially sounding better than ever and as always, it’s the force of the two members combined that make this album what it is. Fantasy Empire is full of great arrangements with an even more vibrant sonic pallette that still fits right in with what people expect form this beloved noise-rock duo. I’ll leave it up to you whether or not it was worth the wait, but either way, it sure is good to have them back.
8/10
You can buy Fantasy Empire here:
http://thrilljockey.com/thrill/Lightning-Bolt/Fantasy-Empire#.VRGCMt3DaGk
The (slightly) Discerning Bassist 