Hogbitch

Hogbitch wallows in a fog-shrouded valley between the mountain forge of herculean riffslingers Black Sabbath and Sleep and the day-glow temple of psychedelic seers Hawkwind and Amon Duul II. By turns heavy and ethereal, earthy and cosmic, doomy and driving, this San Antonio, Texas-bred band delivers adventurous heavy psychedelia that doesn’t sacrifice on bone-rattling aural overload. Drummer Chip Alexander, bassist Patrick MacMaghnuis and guitarist Sanford Allen — vets of storied underground acts Evil Mothers and Boxcar Satan — evoke both the former ensemble’s iron bite and the latter’s penchant for experimentation and raw blues. Allen, the group’s principal lyricist, is a published horror and science fiction author, and the songs reflect his fascination with the darkly fantastic. Their imagery is a kaleidoscopic swirl of shadowy rituals, dying suns and interstellar insanity. While Hogbitch rides on a wave of vintage-amp overdrive, this is no retro act. The band’s sonic wanderlust and convention-challenging song structures make its explorations of crime and space simultaneously tempestuous and trailblazing. Get ready, friends, to live high on the hog. SOUTH TEXAS UR-METAL/HEAVY PSYCH