Pontiak

The slow crawling groove of "Shell Skull,” the opening track of Sun on Sun, hits a metal pocket where Slayer, Sabbath and Molly Hatchet slink along like a melted gummy dinosaur. The brothers Carney, a trio of Virginians, however, are not just backwoods pummellers by trade. This summer also sees a split vinyl release with Arboretum, featuring John Cale covers and inspired originals. Cale’s viola is supplanted by Jennings Carney’s organ on the album’s title track, moving from an "Iron Man”-inspired intro to a mellow jam that blisses out around the eight-minute mark. Pontiak’s ability to slip back and forth across the heavy/chilled divide without losing momentum seems congenital. "Tell Me About,” for example, condenses an album’s worth of Doors modalities into one four-minute song. They share Akron/Family and Black Mountain’s knack for evoking the ’70s vibe without seeming like copyists. Load up on incense, fire up the lava lamps and let it flow.