Dead Heavens - Adderall Highway 7"

Label: Velvet Elk
Year: 2015

The Cult Of Walter grows everyday and with every new iteration of new band he resurfaces with. Not to dismiss or downplay the quality of musicians that are playing alongside in Dead Heavens (or any other band he has been in, really), but there's a Walter Style (patent pending) that cuts through his entire discography which is immediately recognizable, and for 4 out of 5 dentists, immediately welcome to the ears.
The first Dead Heaven 7" that came out this year ('History In My Hands') struck a balance between the warped and darkened late 60's pop influence of Walter's short-lived Walking Concert band, and a slow burning Soundgarden-ish rocker that may or may not be a paean to the Wu Tang Clan.
This, the second 7" of the year, jumps out to a swaggering stoner(ish) groove that made me immediately think of Black Mountain, a swing based in mid-70's dirt rock, but elevated out of the dust my Walter's penchant for hooks and his unique "soaring croak" vocal delivery (absolutely meant as a compliment by the way). The flipside slows it down to a hazy, laid back jammer that worms around your head until you can relent no more, and then they let the song fly off into the trees and you're left thinking, "I could have listened to that for 10 more minutes.".
Two songs of goodness. I'd like twelve more please.
The other guys on the record aren't to be downplayed as merely "supporting Walter", they're real deal dudes in their own right. On drums you got your Drew Thomas of Bold, Crippled Youth, Into Another, Youth Of Today, The New Rising Sons, God Fires Man, Twilight Broadcast, and Zombie. On bass you got your Nathan Aquilar of Cults and Smith Westerns. And on guitar you got your Paul Kostabi of White Zombie, Youth Gone Mad, and errr, Psychotica.

You've probably already got this, I get it, but in my "end of the year list making fury", Dead Heavens were certainly a band I was going to include had they have gotten a full length together in time. Next year...

DL