Totimoshi

The thing about San Francisco, CA's Totimoshi is that you never know what strain of demented noise rock is brewing in their practice space. Zeppelin? Allmans? Stones? Following up 2008's excellent Milagrosa, these intrepid riff-rockers grace eager ears with their sixth album, Avenger. Whatever the influence, their vision is infectious, this time drawing in the guest musician talents of the Melvins' Dale Crover, Mastodon's Brent Hinds and Neurosis's Scott Kelly. After the Melvins-esque title track, "The Fool" is refreshingly melodic, with Antonio Aguilar's ample guitar soloing underlined by Meg Castellanos' rhythmically cavernous bass. Aguilar's slightly unhinged vocals resonate with maximum echo in the Jesus Lizard-like "Mainline," with drummer Chris Fugitt's finest fills present. Instrumental "Calling All Curs" wouldn't be out of place on a late-career Fudge Tunnel record, though "Leaves" leans more towards Clutch after a ballad-like intro passage. "Rose" is a slinky number with an R&B vibe and a chordal progression lifted from the theme from '70s TV hit S.W.A.T. Much like the Melvins' "Tipping the Lion," "Snag" is an oddity that sneaks in between the album's bruisers with big Dinosaur Jr. choruses and reverb-laden, stratospheric solos. "Waning Divine" creeps along initially like Floyd's "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," then detonates with a cacophony of cascading guitars and cymbal crashes. Though it aims for the throat, Avenger consistently seeps into the soul, proving that Totimoshi remain one of the most original forces in modern metal.