9 Chambers’ eponymous debut gives you what you need: sweaty, filthy heavy rock. This hard rock band is made of Vinny Appice (former drummer for Black Sabbath and Dio, among others), singer/guitarist Greg Hampton (Alice Cooper), guitarist Ed Mundell (ex-Monster Magnet) and Jorgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule) on bass. Thus, it is not too surprising that Mundell’s heavy riffs signal the direction, which is strongly reminiscent of Monster Magnet. The uptempo stoner juggernaut “Life Moves On” opens up the album full tilt. After a short psychedelic interlude it takes off again in full flight with a blistering wah-wah guitar solo. The anthemic “Know Your Enemy” and the groovy “Bury Yourself” are standout tracks. “Other Side of Time” is straightforward stoner rock. Granted, this doesn’t reach the grandeur of Sleep, but it is well worth your blue smoke. My guess is that you probably need to cruise in a vintage macho mobile through suburban L.A. in order to fully enjoy the music. Well, it might help, but actually, you can do so without.

by artistxite