On June 9, 2023, Italian Stoner trio BLACK RAINBOWS will drop their eighth full-length studio album. It's called "Superskull" and it will blow your mind. So leave a note for yourself-tagged on your phone, pinned to your fridge, tattooed on your hand-June 9, 2023. Important date. Or you could pre-order it today and just chill. I should mention the album is coming at you from Heavy Psych Sounds, so yeah, some good company there.

Where to start with this album? First, it's fat. As in 12 tracks, one hour. So bpm divided by actual minutes of play time per dollar spent carried to the 666^th power of average db level = an incredible album packed with Stoner goodness of all types. If you're into groovy, psych riffs-welcome home. If you're into the more bluesy, Doom-laden licks, gotcha covered. Mellow, acoustic, yeah, there's one of those too.

For longtime fans, sorry, more line up changes. This time drummer Flippo Gagazzoni joins the ranks. He does a great job, so no complaints there. In fact, this might be the best BLACK RAINBOWS album ever. (Let the debate ensue). Not that it's all down to a new drummer, but the chemistry is definitely there. It could also be that after two years, the lads are just sick of waiting around and they had some crazy fuzz energy to release.

What else? Album cover is by Brazilian artist Pedro Correa. Time to get your black light on. Lyrics? Lyrics range from some serious "Walk" vibes ("Apocalypse March") to superheroes gone bad ("Superhero Dopeproof") to cosmic stargazing (most of the rest of them).

But what about the actual tracks? The bulk of the tracks are sheer molten Stoner Metal. We're talking nine tracks, so three-quarters of the album. For me, these absolutely make the album. I could list all nine of these tracks, but I'll limit myself to my favorite four. First is the "Apocalypse March" which kicks off the whole affair with a nasty, nasty riff. I think a comment on YouTube called it "sticky." Then "Superhero Dopeproof" which is just as good and tough as the title implies. I also loved "Lone Wolf" which stalks and murders like its namesake, showcasing just how tight this trio is. Last on my list is the album closer, "Fire In The Sky," which grooves to a cosmic vibe fueled by interstellar propulsion. I'll reiterate here that this is just my top four favorite tracks, I could easily refer you to the full track list for a complete run down of great tracks on this album. They are all brilliant.

There are two tracks that start off on the chill side, lulling the listener into transcendental meditations then building to massive Doom proportions. Lethal sleepers, these two. There is only one track that I would characterize as truly mellow, "King Snake." I'm not sure if there are actual king snakes in Italy, but as a US citizen where king snakes are common as the mice they eat, I can tell you that they come in a variety of gorgeous patterns. This song is like that: smooth, graceful, colorful and wicked.

Italy is home to some of the best Stoner Metal on the scene. BLACK RAINBOWS cement that reputation, as well as their own, with "Superskull." If you haven't been turned on to BLACK RAINBOWS, welcome to the desert. Also, Heavy Psych Sounds, bless you and carry on, please and mother may I.