By Keith Walsh
For their second full length LP, The Art Of Driving Into The Sun, Arizona’s post punk duo Stereo Christ descends further into the grunge and fury of their punk and metal inspired sound.

Stereo Christ’s eponymous debut album from last year is an inventive set laden with horror and sci-fi themes presented with eccentric performances by drummer/vocalist Keith Moucha and bassist Doug Gluth. Much of the team’s unique sound comes from Gluth’s role: playing a heavily fuzzed up bass guitar, his sonic attack plays within the frequencies typically inhabited by electric guitar. Moucha’s darkly charismatic voice and drum chops, not to mention Gluth’s often hilarious lyrics, only make Stereo Christ’s sound that much more unique.

The Art Of Driving Into The Sun features wildly original tunes steeped in punk and vintage metal traditions, though for this outing they have all but abandoned sci -fi and horror themes for stories of misadventure and stoner rock absurdity. The tempos on the songs seem to be upped a bit also and this adds a lot of excitement to the already intense sound.

Track By Track
The opener “Call Of The Zone” features a catchy bass riff and lyrics inspired by Russian post-apocalyptic science fiction. “Gone Rogue” has a sing along chorus that sums up the duo’s rebellious stance and a killer sonic attack from Gluth’s bass.

“On first impression, Stereo Christ’s lyrics seem like parodies of metal’s fetish for myth and adventure, but then you realize that they’re metaphorical and didactic.“

Title track “The Art Of Driving Into The Sun” is a funky psychedelic groove that lives up to the ‘psyched out desert rock’ signification the band calls their own. I notice that Gluth’s overdriven bass guitar is either overdubbed on left and right channels or the signal is split. In any event, the bass sound is definitely deeper and heavier here.
On first impression, Stereo Christ’s lyrics seem like parodies of metal’s fetish for myth and adventure, but then you realize that they’re metaphorical and didactic.

Driving into the sun/Not so easily done/More battles fought/Than battles won/Don’t be afraid to get dumb/Reduce by the sum/Bite down to the gum/See what is now/Time to allow/Kiss Earth’s brow/Cuz this is how…
From ‘Driving Into The Sun’ From Stereo Christ

Lyrically, “Vaquero Deadly” revisits the tragic history of the American Wild West, while musically it finds Moucha bellowing in a style similar to Jim Morrison in a song filled with unpredictable tempo and style changes and impressive riffing between the drums and guitar. “Go East” is a psych cowboy ballad that provides an intermission from the intensity of the set, and the lo-fi production is strange and effective.

From Stereo Christ’s incarnation, Gluth’s bass guitar sound has leaned into tonal similarity to ‘Jimi’s guitar sound. So a cover of Hendrix’s “Foxey Lady,” (sic) with Gluth’s leads on bass guitar adding an eccentric twist to the melodies while Moucha’s vocals occupying approximately the same range as Hendrix makes perfect sense. “So Suffers The Fool,” with its proverbial lyric and classic metal darkness satisfies the need for something heavy and hard with a tale about ambition, arrogance and failure. There’s cool breaks and riffs demonstrating the tight synchronization between Moucha and Gluth.

‘Starin’ Daggers’ is an intense tune about and animosity with a melodic similarities to something by Johnny Cash. “When The Raft Breaks” opens with a wide soaring fuzz bass guitar lead leading into an adventure story and a lesson about perseverance. The slowest, most bizarre song on the album, “Pink Chicken” sounds like the mental indigestion that follows a dangerously undercooked meal. Echoed out vocals and psychedelic vibes overall make this a crazy, fun ending to this album. The Art Of Driving Into The Sun was recorded live, mixed, and mastered by Jalipaz at Audioconfusion Studio in East Mesa, AZ, with results that are bright and vibrant.

2023 Interview With Stereo Christ at Popular Culture Beat
Stereo Christ dot com
Stereo Christ on Bandcamp
Stereo Christ on Spotify
Stereo Christ You Tube
Stereo Christ Links

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