Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire (2015)

It took me some time to make up my mind about the bass/drum duo Lightning Bolt and their latest album, Fantasy Empire. Maybe it was because I had the idea Lightning Bolt is a mathcore band. Yes some elements of their music could be described as mathcore, but it's a much more complex animal. The raw power and energy they carry evokes hardcore but of course they don't have the straightforward side of hardcore. The fuzzy bass sound reminds noise rock or sometimes heavy psych rock when it gets a bit melodic and trippy. And the rhythmic complexity  could evoke math rock / mathcore but it sounds more loose and improvised, more live, so it's often more free rock than math rock. Well call it what you want to me it's a very dynamic and powerful album with a unique approach and sound, very cool stuff.

The BC page.