The Resurrectionists

Like Night Raider, The Resurrectionists is a sprawling, twisted listen, but where the other Crippled Black Phoenix disc from 2009 focused on Western soundscapes and folky Brit-pop ballads, this outing rocks a little harder. Both albums share a dreamy, sandstorm quality with epic arrangements, but songs like “Rise Up and Fight” and “444” have driving stoner muscle usually reserved for Queens of the Stone Age grooves. If both albums were used together as the soundtrack for a long-forgotten Italian Western (and they genuinely sound like they could be), Night Raider would be used for establishing shots of the sunrise over the sleepy desert town, and The Resurrectionists would be for the climactic showdown at the end. Each is good in its own right, but with its greater abundance of vocals and more explosive atmosphere, The Resurrectionists is the more exciting of the two. For the full experience, both are essential, so the best bet is to pick up the 2011 deluxe edition The Resurrectionists & Night Raider, which pairs both discs into a single package, with a 48-page booklet. For those looking for a more concise alternative, 200 Tons of Bad Luck compiles the finer moments into one shortened disc. Then again, what’s the fun in that? ~ Jason Lymangrover