Since the last time we heard from this Wizard Rifle – on their excellent 2012 debut, Speak Loud Say Nothing – they have added a bassist to become a trio and moved to Los Angeles. But all these changes haven’t slowed them down – it has made them stronger, as their sophomore album takes everything that was good about that first album and improves upon it.

They have made an album that, while touching on a whole bunch of sub-genres, is beholden to none of them. They plunder the best parts of rock’s past and stitch them back together to form one righteous mutant of a sound. So, you’ll hear traces of proto-metal, punk, psyche, prog, and noise rock in their songs. But it’s all put together seamlessly, as the songs have a smooth ebb and flow to them.

“Crystal Witch” opens in a very mellow way, but soon builds steam and explodes into some of the heaviest, hardest psychedelic rock you are likely to hear all year. The guitar in “Buzzsaw Babes” takes after the first word in its title, being furious and fuzzed out. The song follows suit in that its an under three-minute punk-influenced scorcher of a tune. “Paul The Sky Tyrant” moves on a lumbering, yet energetic pace, amping up the Black Sabbath worship with its epic riffs. It also throws in a ripping guitar solo before kicking on the afterburners for its ending. “Psychodynamo” lets it prog roots show, but also manages to be equal parts trippy and hard-hitting. “Beastwhores” ends the album on a high note, merging all their influences into one big finish.

Sophomore slump be damned, Wizard Rifle has made a follow-up that trumps their excellent debut.

(Seventh Rule Recordings, PO Box 42639, Portland, OR 97242)