In past reviews, I may have expressed a certain dislike for the Stoner genre, as I've never really felt it was a proper genre, as the music for me was too aggressive and too dirty, meaning it was never clear enough for me to enjoy properly. Maybe things will change one day, as there may be a Stoner album that I can say I enjoy, even if it is only just one release. Will today be that day? Let us find out.

The album I am concentrating on is the latest from American rockers, THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX, whose new album, "Gravitron", will be out very soon. Formed in 1993 in Neptune, New Jersey in the USA, this three piece Stoner Rock band are influenced by 60's psychedelic rock, as well as well as 70's riff rock, as well as a few other different styles. Their bio on Wikipedia states their other genres as Heavy Metal, Psychedelic Rock and Hard Rock, which is a relief for me at least, as it means there is more then one style of Rock music used in their sound, which I hope will equal good music.

Having listened to it once so far, I can tell that maybe, this is a Stoner album I can like, as the sound is dirty like all other albums in the genre, but because they use different other styles of Rock in their music as well, the music is more enjoyable, as I can actually make out most of the music, as well as the lyrics. The dirty sound also seems to remind me of bands from the British underground Rock scene and I have liked a couple of releases in that style, so things are shaping up well so far.

The album features seven vocal tracks and three instrumental tracks, meaning that you get a differing combination of dirty vocal performances with songs like "Sexecutioner", "It's Alright", "Proto World" and "Coming in Hot", and songs where the music does all the talking, which includes "War Claw," "Fuck Face" and "Down With the Swirl", and it's in these songs you can hear the little elements that make up a Stoner album, including dirty guitar riffs, dirty bass lines and equally dirty drumming on top of the vocals, which are also dirty too.

I've never had any real complaints with dirty sounding Rock music, as often it can make the melodies sound raw and simplistic, yet enjoyable. But I have heard music where the sound is too dirty, meaning that you never really get to enjoy or appreciate the music. There are a few moments where this album does fall into that trap, with some of the music and the lyrics not being all that clear to the ears of the listener, meaning that the music is occasionally hit and miss at times, but for the most part, there is actually not that much wrong with this release.

Bottom line, "Gravitron" by THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX could very well be the first, and probably only, Stoner album that I like, as there are a few other musical styles in this release and the production is a bit more clearer, as a result making the music more enjoyable. If you are a fan of the Stoner genre or if you are unsure whether or not if the style or sound of the genre is for you, then I recommend checking this band out so you can decide for yourself whether or not this is for you, but I think that you will like it, as I did, despite the issues I addressed.<