Stinking Lizaveta

III (Tolotta)
by Craig Regala

An interesting disc from a label whose only delt winners so far. Tolota has moved music into the market that lolls around adjectives like “jammy,” “heavy,” “doomy,” and “goodly.” Eschewing singing and focusing on composing dynamic power trio rock works well for Stinking Lizaveta. The drumming and tempos stick to the surge and flow undertow of hard rock, if you accept later Black Flag/Gone, Iceburn/Engine Kid, Fatso Jetson/Queens Of the Stone Age as “hard rock.” If not, what the fuck? The tightly-wound core spins a pretty vs. powerful dynamic that recalls some acid rock-era stuff I can barely remember, esp., High Tide (cheap reach because of the guesting violin on a couple tracks).

Nothing too busy or cluttered, the time signatures avoid the jerk-on-a-chain switcheroo that shatters the groove, and that’s OK by me. Nonslick grooves slathered in spacezoom guitaring makes a good trajectory for mind and body. No reason these guys couldn’t do well with the non-retard side of the “stoner rock” audience. Granted, there’s a section of that “crowd” who demands a more duh + doom + loud + detuned aura to their mulch. Luckily, ears seem to be open enough that these guys can get some support. If the ninth cut here, “Shu-Shu,” isn’t tuneful enough, just go back to the Ozzfest radio pap smearing the airwaves. They have big over-produced singers and moves easily grasped by the dullest of consumers. Nice to see Stinking… have played with King Sour, whose Instrumentally Retarded album from ’97 is probably the closest actual compare and contrast antecedent to III in the house.
(www.stinkinglizaveta.com)