CKY - The Phoenix (2017) [Hi-Res]

The long-awaited follow-up to 2009's Carver City, the aptly named Phoenix arrives after a period of internal combustion that saw the departure of guitarist, lead vocalist, and co-founder Deron Miller. Fans needn't worry, though, as Chad I. Ginsburg, Jess Margera, and Matt Deis have delivered a sleek and sordid set of swaggering disco-post-grunge emissions that fall well within the established CKY sonic parameters -- think Electric Six, Imagine Dragons, and Alice in Chains. Ginsburg has assumed vocal duties, and while his baritone pipes possess a bit more theatricality than his predecessor, it doesn't take much time to adapt to the new cadence, especially when Margera and Deis lock in on one of the band's signature grooves. QOTSA-worthy deviations into stoner metal like "Wiping Off the Dead" impress, but it's in the wild and familiar gyrations of songs like "Replaceable," "Unknown Enemy," and "Better Than Get Even" that the band sounds most at home. ~ James Christopher Monger