The realm of "stoner rock" is a very terrifying affair. With the glut of bands that have surfaced in the past four years or so, only a few actually elevate their music to the point of being worth hearing. However, the process of weeding out the chaff is often tedious. Luckily, there are bands such as the charmingly named Alabama Thunderpussy who offer something that is worth searching out.

Staring at the Divine is the band's fourth full-length release and their first for Relapse. The ten song effort offers a sound that is very familiar but revitalized with a dose of great songwriting and energy put forth by Alabama Thunderpussy. The band exists in the same heavy rock'n'groove territory as Sweden's Spiritual Beggars and plunders forth in the mode of a straight-forward, non-goofball Clutch. There are also hints of Acid Bath (particularly in the moody, pensive feel of "Twilight Arrival", by far one of the most enjoyable songs on the CD). The production allows the guitarists plenty of grit and dirt for their distortion, while not being the least bit muddy. Moreover, their ability to intertwine crunchy, thick slabs of groovy rhythm tracks with very solid leads makes Alabama Thunderpussy's music much more intriguing and compelling than many of their counterparts. The band is able to both sound well produced and dirty, which means they can avoid that death knell of being overproduced or slick.

Staring at the Divine, much to my surprise, is one heck of a good heavy rock album. There is still quite a bit left to this area of music, as Alabama Thunderpussy demonstrates, and for those into the style, this is one of the best releases I've heard in quite some time.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 04/2002

Back to top