BRANT BJORK And The Low Desert Punk Band ‘Tao Of The Devil’ Album Review.

Words El Jefe.

So it’s no secret that Kyuss have had a massive influence over the heavy / stoner / desert rock (whatever you want to call it; stoner works for me) scene since their inception in the late ‘80s. Tuning down to C, (although Homme claims he wasn’t familiar with Sabbath. Yeah, I’m skeptical too), and playing laidback heavy grooves. Garcia’s vocals were a huge part of the sound and influence, but it was Brant Bjork’s influence on Garcia that led to this vocal style; during Garcia’s audition suggested he try to sing slower and sang him an example. Bjork also hand a large hand in the songwriting. The rest is (musical) history.

‘The Gree Heen’ opens the ledger on Tao Of The Devil, and kicks off with a slick melodic droney run. Some jazzy drums are a cool touch too.

‘Humble Pie’ and ‘Stackt’ are more of the same. Bjork’s throaty growl gets a pretty good workout on Stackt too.

The band really funk-out (not RHCP “funk”; I mean real ‘70’s funk!) once they hit ‘Luvin’’. The Low Desert Punk Band certainly know how to work their sounds, never stepping on each other, just rollin’ through the songs.

The riff-heavy ‘Dave’s War’ is a 10-minute opus, with some extended fuzz guitar soloing to go with the heavier attack on this tune.

The title track, ‘Tao Of The Devil’ maintains a creepy feel throughout the whole song. Very raw, basic and cool!

Tao Of The Devil is a fucking groovy LP. Heavy in it’s own way, with shades of the blues bred into the rock’n’roll vibe, ‘70s era Miles Davis and maybe even some Ry Cooder seeping into the sound. Fuzzed guitars, and a chilled, funky vibe. This record quickly grew on me, and come fully guaranteed by me as well. Dig it. I did.

Brant Bjork’s ‘Tao Of The Devil’ is OUT NOW through Napalm Records. BUY IT HERE.

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