Comets On Fire

Blue Cathedral (2004)

Jesse Raub

Damn, these guys are on drugs. With a few songs clocking in over seven minutes and one even breaking the ten minute barrier, you can be sure that you're in for some psychedelic mind blowing rock n' roll. I mean, shit, there's so much reverb on these vocals that you'll be hearing them for weeks. Throw them over some of the rockinest rock n' roll riffs I've heard in a long time, add some crazy background noises from keyboards, fucked up crazy drums, and you've got yourself one helluva coke or acid binge. Don't worry, they remembered to bring it down in just the right spots to allow your mellow to accrue. And yes, the guitar solos are blazingly mad. And yes, the song titles are fucked up. And yes, it does rule.

"The Bee And The Cracking Egg" is a killer opening track, chock full of everything I mentioned earlier. Next is the instrumental "Pussy Foot The Duke," which reminds me more of a Grateful Dead track than anything, and is easily the worst and weakest track on the album. Let's forget that it exists. "Whiskey River" is another near eight minute psychedelic rocker, while the following track, "Organs," is a nice, mellow, two minute ambient intermission full of bluesy guitar soloing and heavy organ and synth with minimal drums. By far, my favorite track on the album comes next, and "The Antlers Of The Midnight Sun" explodes into a furious four minute jam that blows the roof off. "Brotherhood of the Harvest" is a noisy, haunting space out track to allow your brain some time to recuperate in between all the rock. "Wild Whiskey" is an acoustic, almost tribal tune with loud crazy shit going off everywhere over the acoustic guitars, which brings us to the closer, "Blue Tomb." "Blue Tomb" is a ten minute odyssey that begins with a fuzzed out singular guitar riff, and ends with me wanting to do loads and loads of drugs while I start the album over again.

Don't worry, even if you don't do drugs, this album is crazy enough to make you think you're doing drugs by just listening to it. So what are you waiting for? Mainline this one into your bloodstream. You'll thank me when the colors start swirling.