Pulling together talent from bands such as Monster Magnet, Godspeed, and Core, psychedelic rockers The Atomic Bitchwax kick off the second quarter of 2015 with their sixth full length release, Gravitron (Tee Pee Records), and it’s one that you don’t want to miss out on.
The album’s opening track ‘Sexecutioner’ is short, but serves its purpose in catching the listener’s attention and preparing them for the riff odyssey to come. However, the hook for me came with Chris Kosnik’s bass lines in ‘No Way Man’. I was in and things only got better from that point. Bob Pantella’s drumming provides the heartbeat and when combined with the way that Finn Ryan makes his guitar sing, it creates something reminiscent of long road trips and Fourth of July barbecues. It feels very American in a way. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, ‘War Claw’ provides an excellent secondary example of this.
Things slow down a bit with the album’s closing track, ‘Ice Age Hey Baby’ but that is by no means a bad thing. It’s an extremely catchy tune and will likely go on to become a sing-a-long/crowd interaction staple during live performances. This is a good place to end the album on and even transitions well back into ‘Sexecutioner’ if you have it on repeat like I still do. I also just love how sad it sounds. I’m a sucker for the raw emotion that gets left behind when you strip away the parties and the sunshine and I can’t stop singing along.
This record is a great way to usher in spring after another long New England winter. It’s a great album but at just over half an hour long, I was left wanting more. Don’t leave a girl wanting more riffs, that’s just cruel. Length aside, The Atomic Bitchwax have released another fantastic record that was well worth the wait. Friends in Europe and keep an eye out for the boys on their tour through May.
8.0/10
ALEIDA LA LLAVE
