RETRO REVOLUTION: It should come as no surprise that a band formed by Monster Magnet's Bob Pantella and Jim Baglino rocks the retro style like no other. With 14 tracks of solid and blissfully simple stoner rock, Riotgod's debut brings an aura of garage and fuzz pedal fury reminiscient of early Soundgarden. Toss in a heap of Zeppelin's heaviest and Sabbath's bluesiest, and you have got an idea of where this Jersey quartet is coming from. Vocalist Sunshine wails like he was cut from a cloth sewn by the late, great Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant and Chris Cornell, while axe-man Garrett Sweeny steals the spotlight from his famed rhythm section with an arsenal of resin soaked riff and solos. The duo's interplay on "The Time is Now" is the stuff of legend. With all these stoner rock influences at play, it woujld almost be a no-brainer to pass Riotgod off as a carbon copy, but the band creates something that's as much their own as it is their masters'. Be it the straightforward swagger of "Pinata," the mind expanding "Omega," the hook-laden "Light of the Sun," or the many stoner-licious points they hit in between, Riotgod keeps it real and brings the shit. In all seriousness, this is one album that embraces its influences, but doesn't leech from them. The 70's haven't sounded good since the 70's. - Ryan Ogle // Outburn Magazine #56

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