Lightning Bolt - Oblivion Hunter (Deluxe Reissue) Lightning Bolt

Released: 19/08/22 

The glorious sound created by Rhode Island duo Lightning Bolt is so unremittingly primeval that it's hard to believe they reside in the same geological epoch. Part of the pantheon of truly great noise acts, such as Ruins, Merzbow and Boredoms (come to think of it, there's an awful lot of Japanese bands in this elite club), what made them so arresting when they first burst onto the DIY noise scene in the late 90s/early 2000s was not just their incendiary live shows, which dissolved the boundary between performer and audience, but also their music's astounding polyrhythmic complexity. It is truly a testament to their ability to keep pushing the boundaries of experimentation that 20 or so years later they are just as important as ever.

What great news then that Thrill Jockey have decided to reissue the band's splendid 2012 EPOblivion Hunter(although, why it's called an EP is anyone's guess, as its seven glorious tracks clock in at a healthy LP-length 38 minutes). What's more, this is the first time that all the art, as conceived by drummer/vocalist Brian Chippendale in 2012, is seeing the light of day “ and it also comes as Rainbow Splatter-coloured vinyl (with a digital download card to boot). Heavy, heavy beans.

Lightning Bolt redefines what it means to be DIY. An utterly singular band in every way, unbridled creativity and energy propel them well past most categorical boundaries, least of which is the boundary between band and audience. Theirs is an immersive experience – a sound so huge it can swallow us all.

Oblivion Hunter is a monster. Not a compilation, not concept album and more than the sum of its parts, the record is a peek into the band’s inner world on their home turf (the Hilarious Attic in Providence), collecting deep explorations into distortion, bass manipulation and its intersection with rhythm. A Limited release in 2012 sold out almost immediately. This first re-issue is a deluxe one coming with 4 different covers each matched with it’s own colour vinyl. Re mastered by Josh Bonati, you can now immerse yourself in this pivotal Lightning Bolt album’s sonic oblivion and you are now the Oblivion Hunter.

A cathartic listening experience, Oblivon Hunter finds blast-beats colliding with distorted vocals and all shapes and sizes of guitar noises, even some metallic riffage on the album closer and aptly named “World Wobbly Wide.” Throughout, the sound is amped-up and free with an ear on the railroad tracks to the big sounds of industry and clamor. Bass sounds jump out of the speaker cones that conjure up ears in alien propulsion systems, nights in faraway wind tunnels. Experience this pivotal album in Lightning Bolt’s catalog like never before.