Sky Valley

The Palm Desert, CA, stoner rock unit's major-label debut came out in 1994. Immediately praised by critics for its combination of Sabbath-slow heaviness and dynamism and strong psychedelic elements, Sky Valley featured four tracks (now broken into eleven) intended to be listened to as a single piece (or two pieces for people with the vinyl edition). Alternating between a combination of crushing '70s metal with grunge aesthetics and spaced-out acoustic forays, Sky Valley lives up to the promises of '90s stoner rock, delivering faintly recognized riffs, melodic hooks and singable choruses without sacrificing any of the traits that put the music on the fringes of the mainstream. In addition to an almost constant sonic debt owed (or homage paid) to the Melvins, the humming wall of distortion that singer/guitarist Josh Homme would bring to Queens of the Stone Age's first album can be identified especially in opener "Gardenia," "Demon Cleaner" and "Odyssey" and fans of that band will certainly want to hear what Homme was up to before QOTSA. A year after Sky Valley's release, Kyuss broke up following the appearance of … And The Circus Leaves Town.