Split: Danava / Earthless / Lecherous Gaze

Not satisfied with the traditional split-EP blueprint wherein two bands share one single, the good folks at Kemado have delivered this meaty ménage à trios threaded by West Coast heavy rock hopefuls. Portland’s Danava kickstarts the party with “The Illusion Crawls.” The band's first offering in three years, it picks up right where its proggy UnonoU left us hanging, with ascending 12-bar metal played fiercer than before and imaginative lyrics that recall those bygone gamer’s guild fantasy visions painted by Boris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta. San Diego’s Earthless steps it up with “Demon Lady,” which features guitarist Isaiah Mitchell handling vocal duties like the second coming of Groundhogs’ Tony McPhee while simultaneously letting loose on scorching acid-rock leads on par with Hideki Ishima’s fretboard frenzies for Flower Travellin’ Band. Last but not least is Oakland's Lecherous Gaze, the bell-bottomed, double entendre–monikered quartet rising from the smoldering ashes of Annihilation Time. Its “Get You Some” reveals a band equally enamored with Thin Lizzy and Mahogany Rush.