Lightning Bolt play with abandon that is unmatched and remarkably undiluted since the
duo’s formation 25 years ago. They are often called one of the loudest rock outfits in
existence, both on record and on (or famously, oB) the stage. Brian Gibson creates sounds
that are unexpected and remarkably varied with his virtuosic bass playing and his inventive
approach to the instrument, centered around melody rather than rhythm. The dizzying fury
of Brian Chippendale’s drums twist from primal patterns into disorienting break beats as
his distorted, looped, and echoing vocals weave more melody into the mayhem. Amidst
the fray there has always been shreds of a pop songs discernible in the eye of every
Lightning Bolt song. For their seventh full length, Sonic Citadel, Gibson and Chippendale
have done the daring, stripping away some of the distortion mask to reveal the naked pop
forms as never before. Their relentless energy, inventiveness and, unrestrained joy still drive
their songs, pulling you in and compelling you to bounce and yes, even sing along.
Over their career Lightning Bolt’s incomparable sound has been built on the ebb and flow
between the power of raw, unbridled simplicity and a boundless, childlike sense of wonder.
Sonic Citadel marks the duo’s most varied and diverse work since their seminal album
Wonderful Rainbow, exploring a large breadth of emotions between and within each song.
Gibson and Chippendale again recorded with Seth Manchester at the esteemed Machines
With Magnets to capture the abandon of their music with clarity and Gibson’s incredible
dynamic range clearly to make the record as visceral an experience as their live
performances. The pummeling “Blow To The Head” and swirling “Van Halen 2049” bookend
the album with two of the most ferocious songs in the band’s catalogue, with the former
built as a Black Pus (Brian Chippendale’s solo outlet) track on steroids. In stark contrast,
songs like “Don Henley In The Park,” and “All Insane” take on almost conventional pop
shapes despite being entirely spontaneous pieces crafted in the studio. “Hüsker Dön’t” too
defies expectations as one of the poppiest songs in their discography with a chugging but
clear chord progression and some of Chippendale’s least distorted vocals. These wildly
varying approaches are a testament to the duo’s immeasurable capacity to explore new
sonic territory organically, and largely through improvisation.
The impact that Lightning Bolt has had on underground music since its inception is
immense, and remains pervasive beyond any genre tag that has been attached to them.
Sonic Citadel is the work of band unafraid to challenge themselves, unbound by
expectations, joyfully defiant, and possessed of the same inventive curiosity which set
them apart on day one and is unmatched still 25 years later.
