Magic Mountain - Lightning Bolt

Everybody hang on, cuz this is going to be relentless.

Lightning Bolt – Magic Mountain

So here's the thing that I love about Magic Mountain:

The intro kicks you into the deep end from twenty feet up and holds you under while the water explodes around you. It's heavy and propulsive. Then just when you think you can't take anymore, the bass guitars kick in- wild eyed and snarling. They push into your ears further and further, crushed and mashed by wild cymbals. You begin to ask yourself- will the band provide a breakdown? Is there a quiet moment to hide in against the chaos? Then they return to the murderous drums of the opening to start the whole thing over again from even higher up and you realize- Oh my God, the intro was the quiet bit.

That experience summarizes listening to Lightning Bolt quit nicely.

Lightning Bolt are a two-piece noise rock band from Rhode Island comprised of Brian Chippendale (Drums/vocals) and Brian Gibson (Bass). They are known for playing in the middle of their audience instead of a stage, using telephone receivers instead of conventional microphones, and spent the first several years of their career touring without ever writing an actual song.