(Old Review)Welcome to Sky Valley - Kyuss

Serpentine

Released way back in 1994, Kyuss’ seminal album put stoner rock on the map while becoming a staple in the record collections of people who know good music! The original prototype of QOTSA, featuring a slightly dishevelled Josh Homme on guitars, Kyuss provided a heavier sound amid the grunge explosion. Beginning with what is now recognised as a Kyuss trademark, the Sabbath inspired sludge rock of ‘Gardenia’ takes no prisoners and is heavy without losing its listeners. In fact, like the majority of this band’s output, it is deeply infectious, laid back and hypnotically rhythmic. These attributes run throughout the Sky Valley album with the vocal strains of John Garcia complementing while standing apart from the background chaos. Incorporating vivid blues with hard rock passion, tracks like ‘..Mighty Scoop’ charge at the listener while also displaying the strength of musicianship contained here. Another high point, the intriguingly titled ‘Demon Cleaner’ stretches the rhythms of the opening assault into a more accessible package. With a tribal drum beat Korn et al can only aspire to, it ensures to become imprinted on your mind. ‘Sky Valley’ is an album that maintains the same force throughout all ten tracks and despite its self presentation as a session recording, the album is hugely polished. Choosing unpredictably to end on a low key moment, ‘Whitewater’ is a grower but worth the extra attention for the personal questioning contained within it, which is absent from the rest of the album. A unique display of rock’s ingenuity in the same era where Axl Rose ruled the musical roost, ‘Sky Valley’ remains a subliminal listening experience which, unlike its contemporaries, sounds undated today.