In the years since joining forces with Small Stone, Sons of Otis have become a curious legend within the heavy psychedelic underground. Tales of their shows in Canada, the US and Europe are the stuff of tonal legend, the low end in Ken's guitar and Frank's bass leaving Otis-shaped craters everywhere they go. Following the release of X, a retirement from playing shows was announced, and though it didn't stick, performances became rarer, only helping those tales get taller. By the time Exiled was released in 2009, it seemed to come at a pace consistent with the band's musical heft. Like sasquatch of the north, they poke their heads out every few years to remind people of the potency of their signature fuzz and über-stoned grooves.

Seismic, their latest outing and third with Small Stone behind the release, breaks the every-four-years pattern Sons of Otis established over the last decade, coming just three after Exiled. The Otis ethic, however, is unflinching. The album revels in its hugeness of sound, and tracks like 'Guilt' and 'Far From Fine' arrive through the band's signature and inimitable cloud of space-smoke. Other bands get stoned, Sons of Otis seem to have been born that way. Baluke's vocals echo from a place behind the guitar amps and just to the left of Jupiter, but his guttural blues never sounded more natural taking on Mountain's 'Never in My Life' (their second Mountain cover behind 'Mississippi Queen' on Templeball), and the closing 'Cosmic Jam' shows he's got the fuzz mastery to back up that Leslie West appreciation.

Always a mystery, always smoked out and completely unlike any other band in the world, Sons of Otis stand tall on Seismic and mark 20 years of making the heaviest psychedelia the world has ever known. Yes, we mean that.

Additional Details

Label: Small Stone Records

Genre: Metal

Run Time: 60 mins

Release Date: 08/28/12

UPC: 709764112829