Album per day: Day 12

Artist: Lightning Bolt
Album: Ride The Skies
Released: 2001

As a fan of Royal Blood, I've read a lot of opinionated views on them. Many of those who tend to find them boring or lacking innovation end up pointing readers in the direction of Lightning Bolt as a worthy of example of how being a two-piece shouldn't limit your sound. This band, composed of drummer/vocalist Brian Chippendale and bassist Brian Gibson, hail from Providence, Rhode Island and have influenced more bands than you think.
Kicking off with first track Forcefield, a four minute instrumental whirlwind of noise, it appears that listeners who are more accustomed to the authentic and refined sounds of Royal Blood might be taken aback by what is happening. There is some Muse-esque guitar wankery that is being played through the bass guitar, but there is so much going on that I am struggling to put into words what is going on. Let's just say that Lightning Bolt fit the genre "noise rock" considerably well. 13 Monsters at least incorporates some vocals, albeit extremely distorted ones, and whilst I am a fan of vocal distortion when used properly, it still isn't distinguishable. Ride The Sky is built around an odd time scale and progressively gets weirder with every bass riff. This band were definitely not meant for the mainstream.
The Faire Folk grabs my interests for its speedy and skilled bass playing, but it ends up sounding boring and repetitive. With some questionable wailing happening in the background, it is a shame that more wasn't done with the six minutes that this song had to offer. Wee One's Parade begins with what sounds like a back and forth between Kenny from South Park talking into a megaphone, and Sooty talking through a cheap microphone. Then thankfully, we get a little more going on with some heavy bass and interesting drum fills. I'm also pretty sure there are some vocals in there somewhere. Rotator finishes things off in heavy fashion, incorporating what sounds like synths from a retro Space Invaders game. The only way to describe this album is fast and furious.
I was very much looking forward to giving this album a listen, but I've ended up feeling let down. For an album that has so many elements in which it influences Muse, I don't seem to be connecting with it. This album is definitely something I can't air guitar to, or even air drum to. There is no doubt that beneath all of this noise, there is a band who amass wonderful talents on their instruments, but it did nothing for me due to a distinct lack of melody, structure and memorable moments.  I can credit Brian Gibson for his incredible skills on the bass guitar; he knows all the tricks and makes it sound like five instruments at once. I remember when I first heard Slipknot, I wondered what the fuck I was listening to, but now I bloody love them. Granted I was 13 when I first heard Slipknot, so sadly I may not get on board with Lightning Bolt right now at the age of 22, but in order to solidify my opinion I will have to check out a few more of their songs before fully dismissing them. Kudos to them for making even more of a racket than Royal Blood though with just two people.

Rating: 4/10
Recommended song: Forcefield