rocknworld.com

The latest release from the Tempe, Arizona based Greenhaven solidifies the quartet's reputation as one of the Southwest's leading purveyors of stoner-rock. Spend some time dissecting The Last Powerful Second and you'll hear a tendency to mash up Kiss and Ozzy, but Greenhaven sound more like they were one of the great '70s bands as opposed to being modern rockers working in the genre. Their love of rough-and-tumble rhythm and scorching lead guitar perfectly fits their stories of debauchery, too, such as what goes on in the "Limousine" or the lusty "Kitty Jo." With a voice that's marinated in 100 proof, Matt Strangwayes lights a party fuse that burns with lock-up-your-daughter danger, a quality that no doubt has the boys wanting to be him and the girls wanting to do him. It's not all fun and games, though, as Greenhaven spells out on "Flunky." The song is about coping with a drug jones and lyrics like "Propane and cocaine/I've rode more rails than a freight train" take on an aura of braggadocio but quickly dissolve into despair. This isn't a reinvention of the wheel and it's not meant to be---Greenhaven are coming to your town and kicking your ass, taking your women and leaving you with nothing more than ringing ears. Watch out.

Kevin Wierzbicki