Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights

It begins with what sounds like a chainsaw being run though a wah-wah. Within seconds the first of many stomach-churning riffs dive-bombs into your consciousness and you're dead before you know it - lurching forwards, falling fast into hell with the sound of garbled screaming in your ears. And through all of this you're aware that somewhere a man is losing a fight with a drum kit. Yup, Lightning Bolt certainly come out swinging on LP number five but you have to wonder how many records this duo have left in them, such is this album's resemblance to their previous work. Sure, the production is a little crisper this time around but at no point do they scale the heights of 2005's aptly named Hypermagic Mountain. Yes, there are still some incredible improvisational chops on display here but the frisson of genuine excitement is notably lacking. You'd still sell your grandmother into slavery to see them live though.