THE JESUS LIZARD

In the organizer's words:

In the realms of online rock journalism, the news "band has new album" is about as interesting as Instagram pictures of your brother-in-law's latest bathroom renovation. But when a band decides to follow up their last album, which was over 26 years ago? That's highly stiff-necked and as stupid as a fidget spinner. However, when that band is the Jesus Lizard, suddenly everything in your pathetic cultural dystopia falls apart and the air smells like heaven... Their seventh studio album Rack, produced by Paul Allen, contains 11 tracks of snappy guitar rock you haven't heard since... the last time the Jesus Lizard took a stage in your town. The Jesus Lizard - vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison, bassist David Wm. Sims and drummer Mac McNeilly - have returned with an album teeming with the kind of insanity needed to smack down today's AOR mediocrity and piss-perfect pop drivel alike.

Since forming in Chicago in 1987, the Jesus Lizard have been wowing audiences around the world. The impeccable, rocket-like rhythm section of Sims and McNeilly was the perfect foundation for Denison's jagged yet clean riffing and Yow's moody vocals, which manifested as panicked citizen, reality fugitive or wounded marine mammal. The Jesus Lizard's fury continued on six studio albums, two live recordings and two singles and EPs.

On Rack, the Jesus Lizard return re-formed, refreshed and with plenty of drive. No tepid, bland tracks that show how they have "matured" as songwriters. No silly detours into unnecessary genre exercises. And certainly no strange excursions into experimental realms that seem just as contrived and calculated as the top of the charts.

Jesus Lizard. They may no longer be young, but they will never, ever grow old.