Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire (Album Review)

 

Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire

(2015)


My copy: 2015 double album on black and white swirl by Thrill Jockey


2015’s Fantasy Empire is ironically a bit of a black sheep in the Lightning Bolt catalog for how normal it is in comparison to what came before it. The duo opt for raw noise-rock energy on this record and that’s clear right out of the gate with the searing track “The Metal East.” Lightning Bolt is simply bass and drums, and in order to shake things up, bass player Brian Gibson uses various higher gauge strings to allow him to play the higher pitched riffs that are present across the album. Lightning Bolt has a fascinating dynamic; Gibson is able to play both melodies (crude and piercing ones, but melodies nonetheless) and also shift to growling, sludge-y bass lines at any time due to his unique setup. Meanwhile, drummer Brian Chippendale blasts his kit as if he were a mad animal that could only take its rage out through percussion.

“The Metal East” Introduces the core concept of this album: a loud and fast riff is pursued violently by Chippendale’s lightning fast drumming and somewhere in between there are some weird noise experiments. The aforementioned blueprint is applied to the more straightforward tracks such as “Horsepower” and the explosive “Dream Genie.” The more out-there tracks such as “Over The River And Through The Woods,” “Runaway Train” tackle heavy psych. There are obvious metal influences but the duo never allows the songs to feel pigeonholed strictly into that realm.

There are sludge/noise experimentations with some insanely dirty bass tones specifically on “King Of My World” and “Snow White (& The 7 Dwarves Fans).” The biggest fault in Fantasy Empire lies in how straightforward (as nuts as that sounds) the record is compared to older Lightning Bolt albums. Albums like Wonderful Rainbow or Ride The Skies feature much more colorful sound manipulations, and the creativity behind an earlier track like “Wee One’s Parade” that made Lightning Bolt into an iconic underground band are seemingly absent on Fantasy Empire. This album is not without its weird moments, the final track is a nearly 12 minute deluge of twisted vocals and samples. “Leave The Lantern Lit” is a beautiful atmospheric precursor to “Dream Genie” that I wish persisted for longer or developed into something more. 

Ultimately, Lightning Bolt would go on to change courses for the better on their following album, but that’s not to say that Fantasy Empire isn’t a great record for those seeking an absolute behemoth of fuzzed out bass and batshit crazy drumming. Brian Chippendale is a monster player, and if you are looking for a very unconventional yet powerful playing style then look no further than Lightning Bolt. 

This copy of Fantasy Empire is still pretty cheap and available, and it looks cool.

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