Led by Hot Snakes/Rocket from the Crypt drummer Mario Rubalcaba, Earthless lives up to its name. Guitarist Isaiah Mitchell's nimble riffs crescendo skyward, sprawling feedback enters from the fourth dimension, and Rubalcaba strikes his kit with brute force. In Earthless' hands, metal is a wordless meditation on triumphantly rocking out — until the third and final track. Cosmic coda "Cherry Red" covers the bluesy sludge and galloping guitar licks of vintage Brit band, Groundhogs. But in keeping with the rest of the record, Earthless keeps even this interpretation ruggedly exploratory, moving with transcendent skill from classic rock badlands to heavy metal cosmos. — Jennifer Maerz
