Album of the Day

Founding fathers of stoner rock, Kyuss emerged from Palm Desert, California, at the end of the 1980s. Originally named Sons of Kyuss (after a Dungeons & Dragons monster), the quartet self-released an EP under that name before being picked up by Chameleon Records for full-length debut WRETCH. Released on this day in 1991, the collection includes a couple cuts from that earlier E.P. and re-recordings of a few of its songs, but the rest of the material shows considerable songwriting growth, and new bassist Nick Oliveri adds a little extra muscle to the grooves on such highlights as “Big Bikes,” “Hwy 74” and “Son of a Bitch.” While group members – particularly guitarist Josh Homme – would find greater fame in future bands, WRETCH shows that Kyuss possessed sun-baked power from the very beginning.