Love Battery
Between The Eyes

Grunge, as we know, is a genre that looks heavily to the past. The riffs of Zeppelin, the cavernous sound of Black Sabbath, the mischievousness of the Stooges, and the punk's brashness and attitude have been part of this genre's genetic makeup since the days of Green River. However, there are bands that look even further back, to the '60s, and add psychedelia to their sound: the most successful and famous example is, of course, the superb Screaming Trees from Washington, but the grunge mother city, Seattle, has something to offer too: Love Battery.

Formed in '89 by singer Ron Nine, guitarist Kevin Whitworth, and bassist Tommy Simpson (the latter two already together in Crisis Party), Love Battery recruits Mudhoney's drummer Dan Peters, who, however, quickly leaves the group: his replacement is former Skin Yard drummer Jason Finn. Shortly before the release of their first EP, Simpson also departs, replaced by Jim Tillman (ex U-Men), and in '90 "Between the Eyes EP" is released, only to be expanded the following year into their first LP, the album in question.

The material here is still raw, the best is yet to come, but especially the psychedelic element is rather latent, although certainly not invisible. The greatest hint towards the band's future direction is given by the cover of "Ibiza Bar" by Pink Floyd, by "Highway of Souls", and by "Easter", electric ballads in full Screaming Trees style. The band of Lanegan and the Conner brothers is actually the major guiding spirit: the psychedelic inspiration is still filtered through grunge, in short; only in the following albums will they begin to draw directly from the Sixties psychedelia. However, the Trees are not the only source of inspiration for Love Battery: "Wings" recalls the Pixies, the initial "Between the Eyes" is a child of Green River and early Soundgarden, while "67" is a fast punk/metal piece with the rhythm section prominently featured.

And it is precisely from Green River that Love Battery will recover a member when Tillman also leaves the group: Bruce Fairweather. With the legendary guitarist in the lineup, the band will know a short period of success, being acclaimed for a while as Nirvana's heirs (but how many heirs did they leave behind??). Unfortunately, fortune is blind: after Finn left Love Battery for the Presidents of the United States (they, yes, of enormous success), the group fell to pieces, ending up in an oblivion that persists to this day, even though the three original members (Simpson returned in '99), plus Mike Musburger, are still together.

In short, if you are looking for an alternative to the Screaming Trees, you know where to find it!