Black Space Riders – D:REI
Cargo Records
www. http://blackspaceriders.com/

Rating C-

Not to be confused with the Thin Lizzy alum band Black Star Riders, this band from Germany has been around a few years and released a couple of albums.  This is pure stoner rock with a pounding bottom end and unstoppable rhythm.

At times, they are damn fine as in the opening track “Stare at the Water.”  Other times, like the next track, “Bang Boom War (Outside My Head),” they are rambling and repetitious.

The album is split into four parts, D: Defiance, R: Ruins, E: Escape, I: Beyond and then ends with something called Spacetime.  It may be a concept album, but it is too disjointed to be positive about that claim.  I suppose if you’re into stoner and space rock you will dig these guys, but in many ways they are kind of like Heavy Metal’s version of Electronica as the rhythm becomes more important than the actual song.

This is not bad stuff, but it is definitely an acquired taste.

By Jeb Wright