Lullwater Conjures Southern Grunge Voodoo

Veteran Athens band and recent Sevendust tour mates Lullwater do grunge nostalgia justice on new album Voodoo.

From the unsettling laughter at the beginning of “Curtain Call” to the hectic crescendo of “Suffer Not,” the band tools with melodic yet heavy-hitting rock music. Two decades later, it’s easy to cringe at grunge comparisons because so many bands forget to temper their fury with the finesse that set bands like Soundgarden and Alice in Chains apart from their hardcore punk predecessors and butt-rock children. With songs like “Godlike” and “Into the Sun,” Lullwater temper blind anger with whip-smart lyrics that reflect urban alienation, depression and other unfortunate truths that deserve an ass whoopin’.

The whole ’90s worship thing sucks for the most part, but these guys excel at adding their own Southern touch to their grunge heroes’ best work. Don’t worry, no one will come to your house and force you to wear cargo shorts if/when you agree.