Bluesy, Doomy, Stonery, Tube-y, Groovy, sticky, chewy, heavy, moody, tactile. . .
This could be classified (at least partially) as Desert Rock, which means there’s some Kyuss, some QOTSA, some Them Crooked Vultures. . .
But there's more to Miss Lava than tube amps and cacti. They have ingredients from all kinds of other regions and Heavy Rock sub-genres. There’s definitely some White Zombie here, some 90s-style Alternative Rock, some Stonery Grunge, and with all of the above, the Sabbath influence goes without saying. While we’re talking comparisons, let’s throw in The Sword, Soundgarden, Turbowolf, and the heaviest of Stone Temple Pilots or Alice in Chains.

Miss Lava are a quietly dependable modern band, who, by all rights, should be known across the Hard Rock world. The songs are chunky with fat, phat, fuzzy, phuzzy power chord riffs, with some medium-rare wah-wah single note low-string leads. Johnny Lee’s vocals are full of confidence and attitude, but never confrontational, egotistical, or obnoxious. Just some snarl. . . almost like a clear-voiced Clutch.
I think this isn’t quite up to the bar they set with 2016’s superb “Sonic Debris” record, but it’s a worthy follow-up. Miss Lava are a damn good one.
Highlights: “The Fall,” “Into the Mire,” “The Oracle,” the title track, and the “Feel Surreal” bonus track.