 Spirit Lake; The Biggening. Born of western imagery haunted with the sound of bygone arena rock, this is the album that conjures images of both Zep in ‘72 and Queens of the Stone Age today. Exile-era Stones fraternizing with Sonic Youth at Tom Petty’s ranch. Visceral, and completely lacking in pretense or twee introspection, the Biggening is hoped to be the first shot over the bow in the battle to bring rock & roll back to airwaves and music fans alike. 

The Biggening

"Billboard Heart" (Release Date: February 28, 2025)
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Billboard Heart

Deep Sea Diver - Billboard Heart

This is big boy, bourbon & dope, fire & brimstone, cock & balls style rock & roll that's been vicariously, yet adeptly steeped and percolated through haunted juke-joints and sports arenas alike. Their music makes the sonic argument that this band would not be out of place sharing the stage with Foghat in 72, Zeppelin in 75, GnR in 88, Alice In Chains or Soundgarden in 93, Foo Fighters in 99, Wolfmother in 06, or Jack White / Black Keys / Queens Of The Stone Age today. 
      Amid the abundance of synth pop, and post rock that somewhat defines Portland’s music scene these days, Spirit Lake has emerged to offer the sweat, the swagger, and the fuel of Rock ’n’ Roll. With their E.P., Between Me and the Mountain, the band finds the basis for their sound. It's a foray into the perseverance of the human spirit. The sounds are massive, driving and have been known to send chills up one's spine with a mix of psychedelic blues and big rock. On the group’s debut full-length album, "Uncle Walker’s Amber Restorative", Spirit Lake builds upon this foundation with the proto-punk sound of the late 60s and early 70s. Arty, but primitive, it swings with a combination of blues, pop and rock like Exile era Stones, while slowly grinding in distortion toeing the line between psychedelic and country ala Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Elsewhere, the band injects moments of grunge, metal, and T-Rex-ish glam creating a blend that’s smooth but with a stiff kick.  "Uncle Walker's Amber Restorative" conjures images of dandy, bearded travelers peddling bottles of brown water and black magic. The sort of murky elixir that will at first heal the sick, then send them on a damn fool crusade into the depths of some dusky, damp wilderness in search of the prize, a figment, unimaginable to those not under it's influence. On their sophomore release Spirit Lake provides the soundtrack for just such a hallucination. Wielding big 70's sounding guitars and drums, these lads deftly interweave dark almost Gothic tales with hooky numbers to create the sort of hard rocking, yet accessible psychedelic quilt that you'd expect to be attached to someone named Followill. From the menacing riff of the records opening salvo, "Peacemaker," to the twang-laden closing jam, Walk Back To LA, "Uncle Walker's" will keep you chasing down the rabbit hole, and, when you wake, don't be surprised to find yourself, roach smoldering, dancing on Shannon Hoon's grave."  
    Despite the reservations, sometimes bigger is better. From the onset, Spirit Lake’s second full length album, appropriately titled "The Biggening," is more grandiose than the group’s past efforts. It’s fed by sweeping percussion; howling, distorted solos; and a voice resembling that of Wolfmother’s Andrew Stockdale... "Questions (You Never Ask)", with its swaggering electric guitar and touch of cowbell, shakes like a lost Electric Warrior B-side... "Hellbent", a two-minute cannonade of bombastic skins and blues riffage, is the perfect homage to a 500-horsepower muscle car... The Biggening does have its softer moments. "Santa Ana Winds" recalls the burning air that rolls off the Mojave with twanged acoustics and glimmering slide. "I Want Love" expresses longing via slow-burning, staggered guitar and an honest refrain: “I want a love, I want a love, I want a love,” sings Ferguson, as the song quietly dissipates, “that won’t break my heart.” Who doesn’t?” "The Biggening," doesn't "shy away from the oil-slick muscle rock that characterized their earlier stuff—tried-and-tattered, bruised-and-battered biker rock in the vein of Blue Cheer (the strain of acid and the band). Visceral, and completely lacking in pretense or twee introspection (The Biggening) might be the Portland band's Led Zeppelin III. On "The Town That I Died In," Spirit Lake lets their bluster blow soft, aiming for gentle ripples rather than whitecaps, but they're still at their best with bluesy, bong-ready blowouts like the swaggering title track.

The Biggening

Spirit Lake

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