Review: Hellride Music

04.29.02

The Ribeye Brothers have proven, if nothing else, that the stoner/doom umbrella covers an extremely wide variety of sound. This CD, the latest from the reknowned MeteorCity label, qualifies if for no other reason than the obvious substance intake on the part of Ribeyes Tim Cronin and Jon Kleiman.� What we have here is a sick, drunken slab o' garagey psychedelia not quite like anything you've heard before. Its especially surprising considering the close association of both Ribeyes with scene veterans Monster Magnet: Kleiman is MM's drummer, and Cronin has long served as the group's "spiritual advisor." Well, you won't hear much MM here, although I confess to hearing a bit of Dave Wyndorf in Cronin's vocals. That, however, is just one element in the mix: you'll also hear the psych-country experimentalism of the Butthole Surfers at their best, the psychobilly of the Cramps, even a couple of dirty covers of tunes by The Beatles ('Don't Pass Me By,' complete with echoplex intro) and The Creation. Yeah, there's a bit of country in this, but it's a kind of demented country like Jon Wayne's 'Texas Funeral,' which everyone, including the Ribeyes themselves, should hear immediately.� The real unifying element in this musical drunken stagger is humor; its there to be found at every turn. Props to MeteorCity for confounding everyone's expectations as to the "meaning" of stoner rock!� by Kevin McHugh Related: Hellride Music

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