Pure Stoner Genius
Whether you know them as Kyuss, Kyuss Lives! Or Vista Chino, what is clear is that without this band Stoner/Desert Rock wouldn't be anything. John Garcia and Brant Bjork are back, but this time with new material, and Peace is an absolute banger. The band released the track Dargona Dragona on the announcement of signing with Napalm Records and in case you haven't heard it yet, it is a brilliantly catchy and heavy tune which winds off into a classic desert rock vibe. This track will certainly be a big hit live. The perfect opener after a short intro tune.
As the tracks progress, the crunchy Sweet Remain and the jazzy As You Wish showcase even further the band's talents with riff after riff impaling your consciousness before moving on to the absolutely mental Planets 1 & 2. Energetic punk-like fury, earth shattering riffs, eerie atmospheric vocals, ridiculous guitar licks, all contained into one tidy little six and a half minute package. This is Kyus... I mean Vista Chino at their absolute best. The brilliant thing is, this just feels so close to old school Kyuss, and not in a tedious 'they've run out of ideas' kind of way. The production is perfect, not overly polished, but leaving it with the rough edges this music deserves. At times it feels like you've stumbled on garage tapes of this band just jamming, and that is exactly what a stoner/desert rock album should feel like. This is certainly the case as the album concludes with the brilliantly titled Acidize – The Gambling Moose. This 13 minute, absolute powerhouse of a track will leave you mesmerized for hours.
Overall then, on the evidence of this album new material from Garcia and Bjork was long overdue, with many of these tunes sure to receive a great reaction on the UK tour this winter.