Ghost Town Electric/Defending The Kingdom- Split LP ~MASTODON!

 Ghost Town Electric/Defending The Kingdom- Split LP. Now, this is what vinyl’s really meant for, as far as I’m concerned: two sides of badass, heavy, bang-your-head rock on one solid slab of wax. Of the two, Ghost Town Electric are probably the more intriguing outfit — although that’s not meant as a slight to Defending the Kingdom, who I’ll get to in a minute. It’s just that Ghost Town Electric dwell comfortably in this seemingly weird zone in between Hello Master-era Priestess and Mastodon; there’s a metal edge to everything but it’s not really metal, with bits of stoner-rock, ’70s rock-and-roll, and even rootsy barroom boogie peeking ’round the sides. On the flip, Defending the Kingdom’s half of the LP play a very heavy, martial-sounding metal with slow-moving rhythms and shredded-throat, roared/howled vocals that fight the more distant, flat-sounding “straight” vocals for dominance. The band stomps and crushes their way along, burying some surprising melodies beneath the juggernaut