Now that James Brown is dead, the title of hardest-working in show business should rightfully be bestowed upon the twin-headed beast that is Lightning Bolt. Messengers Brian Gibson and Brian Chippendale (bass and drums, respectively) have been hauling both ass and heavy amps around the globe since the 2003 release of Wonderful Rainbow.

But even with the release of 2005’s Hypermagic Mountain (as well as a book, DVD, split, and three CDRs), some of the ultra-hip have dismissed the monolithic power of the Bolt — probably because they’re now name-dropping Wolf Eyes. That’s a fool’s decision. The duo from Providence, Rhode Island continues to use blast-hammers and a Tasmanian threshing machine to churn out unheralded musical density at nuclear volumes. And it’s buckets of fun too! Far from being the prog-metal outfit that bloggers once declared them to be, the Bolt functions more like an update of the sweaty R&B rave-up.

But it doesn’t matter what or whom the group reminds me of; Lightning Bolt is — without the tiniest smidgen of hyperbole — the greatest live band in modern America.

This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2007.