StonerRocK from the USA
All Time High - Earthquake Bee
All Time High is a new band and side project featuring Adrian Makins, who is best known for his bass works with Kitty Kitty and Valis. Turning to guitars and vocals in All Time High, Adrian and his men have managed to put together a solid record that pretty much takes you back to the early days where rock was once the focal point and all that Brittney bullshit was never insight.
All Time High manages to capture a diverse brand of rock scratching the surfaces of various influences such as Pink Floyd, Radio Birdman and the mighty Sabbath. Jack Endino Was assigned the job of recording these North West Rockers, and if you haven't heard of Jack Endino then you been living under a rock for the last 20 years or more.
Friends In High Places, kicks off with the track Rule of Thirds, this is classic 70's inspired groove rock, well executed guitar licks and after one spin from the first song your know it's going be a rock n roll saviour that is true to its roots. Pollyanna is next to follow and most definitely leans towards the grunge days we all know so well, Reverb, tremolo and a catchy chorus that stinks of flannel and nostalgia.
Tightrope is a stand out track on this album, a nice bluesy feel layered with thick groovy effects. Adrian's vocals on Tightrope really shine and for a minute you could think you have jumped in a time machine and ended up in 1974 wearing flares and toking on all kinds of whacky substances! Twistin' the Knife Away is sleaze with a capital "S", dirty garage rock in the same vein as MC5 or perhaps Blue Cheer.
Land of the Free is one of the heavier fun tracks on Friends in High Places, again a grunge number laced with punk & stoner elements although only 2 minutes long, it's enough to kick you square in your teeth. Earthquake Bee is another stand out track! Classic Valis styled walls of fuzz groove upon groove relentless! The musicianship on this track is Stella and man this chorus will have searching for the nearest foreign object to air guitar with.
Astral the crescendo to Friends in High Places is packed with hard hitting heaviness, cosmic tones and yeah I guess a somewhat astral feeling! It's heavy and perfectly delivered. The die down section is fantastically jammed out as if you were floating away in a space capsule...
Given the calibre of All Time High's line up, you would expect a pretty rocking record, and without a doubt they have delivered that. Production is tight and the mix feels so right. Friends in High Places is a class debut that will appeal to just about any heavy music lover, be it 70's or the more fuzzed out bottom heavy listener. If you dig Valis then you are for sure going to love this record Hunt this one down it's a must have! Two thumbs up guys I look forward to hearing your next instalment..
Reviewed by Matt Frighetto
Smallstone Records
Track List
01 Rule Of Thirds
02 Pollyanna
03 Tight Rope
04 Twistin' the Knife Away
05 Land of the Free
06 Earthquake Bee
07 New Urge
08 No Mind
09 Nice Guys Laugh Last
10 Already Gone
11 You Can't Kill The Messenger
12 Astral
