The Formative Years - Kyuss
There is something to be said for music that not only serves as a mere accompaniment but as the sonic equivalent of a psychedelic experience as it makes things infinitesimally better and literally adds another dimension to things.
It must have been in the early 1990s that I first was introduced to Kyuss and while my surroundings did not even remotely resemble the vastness and harsh environment and debilitating heat of the Californian desert, things clicked instantaneously.
What emerged out of Palm Springs seemed perfect and magical as the way that the four-piece channelled its alchemy in ways that combined what I loved about both Black Sabbath and Black Flag only to slow it down, make it heavier, add their idiosyncratic groove and infused it with an unrivalled vibe.
While their debut Welcome to Sky Valley in all its raw and unfiltered beauty. Music that felt like the desert come alive, dangerous, distant, white hot and intense while incredibly beautiful.
While their debut Welcome to Sky Valley and …And The Circus Leaves Town were solid offerings, their magnus opus remains Blues For The Red Sun in all its raw and unfiltered beauty. Music that felt like the desert come alive, dangerous, distant, white hot and intense while incredibly beautiful.
For the band and its incarnations there was no staging needed: Their video clips just showed them playing in the desert without any added dramaturgy and still transported an enigmatic quality.
Needless to say, Kyuss spawned what was eventually to become known as “stoner rock” with bands still trying to not only emulate their sound but trying to replicate their thick and heavy guitars and recording techniques, which included placings cabinets so that certain frequencies would cancel each other out, in a bid to sound both as dusty and powerful without ever coming close to creating that magic sauce that the masters effortlessly did.
A special band that with its spirit and rumble came and conquered at the right time, with their posthumous legend quickly outgrowing their mere musical legacy.
