We Are Night Sky

Louisiana duo Deadboy and the Elephantmen consists of guitarist and vocalist Dax Riggs, a childhood runaway whose previous band, the teen heavy metal combo Acid Bath, won local fame and notoriety, and drummer Tessie Brunet, whose primitive percussive style fits Riggs's garage band-influenced songs like a nicely worn old pair of jeans. Riggs's complex background (he was raised as a Jehovah's Witness before rejecting the religion) is apparent in the nightmare imagery in songs like "Ancient Man" and "Misadventures of Dope." "Stop, I'm Already Dead" has a perfect singalong chorus, while the Cramps-like "Blood Music" and "Kissed By Lightning" add swampy voodoo imagery to Riggs's metal roots. But Deadboy and the Elephantmen's truly individual vision is best displayed in "How Long the Night Was," with its meandering introduction, driving groove, and oddly psychedelic overtones.