Psychedelic hard-rock trio Moon Destroys may officially hail from Atlanta, Georgia. Still, there’s something cosmic about their music—a suitable association when the band’s very name suggests something astrologically out of this world.
On Omni (Blues Funeral Recordings), with the original duo of guitarist Juan Montoya (ex-Torche) and Evan Diprima (ex-Royal Thunder), welcoming Zach Amster of Abrams on vocals and rhythm guitar, the band travel further out into the musical cosmos.
Though it’s hard to pin a simple description on the sound of Omni, it seems clear that Moon Destroys have honed a sound that’s fully their own, and like a precious stone hurtling through space they are sharpening it for optimal impact.
Ok, that metaphor is starting to get away from me.
Omni showcases a kind of modern hard rock that draws most apparently from the groovy, but muscular rhythms of Queens of the Stone Age and soaring rock sparkle of Jane’s Addiction.
There’s a touch of Deftones sensuality here, a dash of Alice In Chains darkness there, maybe even an occasional note of Helmet-riff syncopation and definitely a great sonic wash of shoegaze-evoking wall of sound.
This is one way to characterise the sound of Omni. Guitarist Montoya certainly has some serious chops, but he rarely jumps off into wild, expansive lead work, focussing instead on creating a great wash of enveloping space-rock tones and huge-sounding riffs (with just enough of that cosmic Dave Navaro-style spiraling toward the sun to make the music sparkle).
Central to the album is a really tightly constructed set of songs, catchy, but powerful and to the point. The thunderous power of Diprima’s drumming has plenty of opportunities to shine. One of the album’s standouts, “Motion Sickness” builds on a taught, lockstepped rhythm, gradually building to its crescendo of chugging riffs, precision drum rolls, neat lead work, and the complementary commanding wails of Amster leading the band towards the next distant star (yes I’m running back to that metaphor).
Amster’s vocal tones seem a perfect fit for the music of Moon Destroys. There’s a touch of the nasal snarl of Billy Corgan, some of the energised evangelism of Perry Farrell and a healthy dose of grit that feels in keeping with the overdriven guitar tones.
Sucking the listener into their space voyage track by track, Omni notably builds through the back half of the record with tracks like “Sowing Stars” and “Missing Wish” upping the tempo before the closer “She Cried” sticks the landing with a satisfyingly stomping finish—awash with swirling guitar feedback and Amster’s mantra-like calls.
Pretty darned cosmic.
Buy the album here:
https://moondestroys.bandcamp.com/album/omni
8 / 10
TOM OSMAN
Follow his work here:
Follow his podcast: