Though neither Pierce nor Interior vocally, his twang's the thang: brooding, epic, immense. [Jul 2024, p.82]

Pond continue to make high-quality records on their own terms, and Stung! is undoubtedly one of their most enjoyable. [Summer 2024, p.77]

The classic stoner rock we know from QOTSA is alive and well, but on this record they've pushed themselves into the more experimental corners of their psyche. [Summer 2023, p.74]

An incendiary record from a band teetering on the edge of a crumbling precipice. [Sep 2025, p.78]

Ultimately, every track on this masterfully sculpted set courses with life-affirming pop-rock passion.

Notwithstanding the fact that this is a collection of outtakes, this is acid/blues rock at its pinnacle, Joplin at the very height if her primordial, unfettered powers , with Big Brother contributing a psychedelic backdrop that still stands firm five decades on. [Dec 2018, p.92]

There’s a healthy sense of experimentation, peaking with wondrous prog-metal epic Halloween Bolson.

They’re on more familiar ground, with an emotional take on alternative indie rock inspired by the frontman’s new experiences in fatherhood.

The songs on this follow-up to 2013’s Dig Thy Savage Soul rock harder than before while retaining the garage signature of ex-Lyres guitarist Peter Greenberg.

If you’re a fan of the more raucous, high-octane twang-stompers this band are best known for, you might find this a strangely sedate, mid-tempo affair.

A modest masterpiece. [Oct 2023, p.86]

The mood varies across the record. [Nov 2023, p.81]

The songs themselves are among Lennon's worst. .... This reissue comes in a box full of new mixes - several CDs or vinyl LPs of Raw Mixes, Ultimate mixes and Out-Takes, none of which add anything much other than a sense that one's ears have been syringed for no good reason. [Summer 2024, p.83]

Taken in a single sitting, the rewards from this record are manifold. [Summer 2019, p.83]

Bookended by the glorious, galloping sludge-fest, Bridgeburner and the Dio-era, Sabbath-indebted doom-laden title track, the likes of Soft Spot In My Skull and the pummelling 1000 Mile Stare prove that this is much more than a vanity project and it’s as thrilling as anything they’ve put their names to in the past.

Delving deeper into funk groove and psych textures, this expansive ninth record pays a flying visit to such old haunts, to find its hedonistic crowd now wracked with late-capitalist economic woes and struggling to stay rock'n'roll post-rehab. [May 2023, p.78]

The resulting sound is mature and measured, with similarities to Dulli’s work with the Twilight Singers more easily applicable than anything in Whigs essentials Congregation or Gentleman.

Hansard says of his emotional, spiritual and musical journey to complete this record. He’s succeeded. Ramble on, indeed.

Now 30 and nicely expanded Come On feel captures its time to a tee. [Jul 2023, p.93]

A group at ease with both their instruments and each other, showing no signs of rust or sclerosis despite their long lay-off. [Jun 2015, p.88]

Blue Sky is 33 minutes of fearless, peerless and unvarnished brilliance. [Apr 2019, p.88]

Its best moments veer away into austere orchestral grandeur: the title track is fittingly climactic and Love From The Other Side resembles a civilisation tunefully collapsing. [May 2023, p.77]

A slickness that comes with age and experience sees them settle into their own groove. [Nov 2014, p.93]

From storming opener Die By The Sword to rabble-rousing anthem Analog Man, will tear your face clean off.

A clever way with melodies over and above what they achieved on debut Higher Power, and lyrically there's more than welcome cheeky sense of irony. [Sep 2018, p.93]

This isn't music intended to inspire soul-searching. With its fat, fuzzy riffs and living-for-the-weekend vibe, it's made entirely for boozy barbecues and blokey banter, and maybe the odd trip to a monster truck rally. [Mar 2020, p.88]

Deft arrangements, vintage heaviness, classic power. [Jun 2020, p.89]

Regardless of the personnel on it, this album sounds like the Stranglers: both nice and sleazy. [Sep 2021, p.81]