Flash Lightnin' — Destello

Destello demands a ballsy approach to your stereo because dulcet this ain't. The Toronto trio's debut EP hits with all the subtlety of a shotgun in a library. The band's blues-heavy soggy bottom rock 'n' roll plunges deep into the vinyl bin. ZZ Top, The Stones — you name it, they've listened to it and mashed it into something unique. Smash-and-grab vocals and careening Les Paul solos abound, with tracks like "Walking Blues" strutting out some serious swagger-worthy fretwork. This is a disc that not only should, but needs to test the limits of your hi-fi system, headphones or whatever you have. It's gotta push your speakers and eardrums to the brink of failure because Flash Lightnin's earnestness makes Destello an all too-short visceral pleasure.

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