Lumped in with roots rock acts in the Eighties, the material from L.A.'s Divine Horsemen was always a bit tough to pin down. It was, of course, always roughly uncompromising. And the same can be said of the group's new record. Bitter End of a Sweet Night is out today via In The Red Records.
Chris Desjardins (AKA Chris D.) and Julie Christensen, Peter Andrus, Bobby Permanent, and X drummer DJ Bonebrake make up the 2023 line-up of Divine Horsemen. There's help from Chris Cavacas of Green on Red too, as well as assistance from violinist Elizabeth Wilson, but the guiding star is, of course, Chris D. Even in 2023 one can hear traces of the doom-punk that his other band, The Flesh Eaters, was first famous for. That outfit featured Bonebrake as well, and things like "Memory Fails" benefit from his punch. "Talking in Your Sleep Again" is more expansive, Christensen's vocals carrying this to a desolate place. Elsewhere, "You Knew No Other Way" recalls the grim-yet-impassioned punk of The Gun Club, a band which Chris D. produced. Still, amid the harsh edges of this material lurks beauty. "Vanina Vanini" is really lovely, Chris D. and Julie Christensen sounding fine together. Fans of bands like Crime and the City Solution will notice a stylistic simiarlity here, and one wonders if Simon Bonney owned some Divine Horsemen stuff back in the day? There's further linkage between the Cave-world and this one through a cover of "The Next Man That I See" by the late Anita Lane. It works very well, even when stretched out a bit.
Divine Horsemen cut a unique path through revival punk. Their full sound is rich with emotion and passion, and a kind of harsh instrumentation. There's hints of the blues here, and even old country, but the record churns with a lot of heart. One's reminded again just how robust the sound was in the Eighties from the West Coast wave of so-called cow-punk bands. That said, it's still just as strong here and now as played by these musicians.
Bitter End of a Sweet Night is out on In The Red Records.
[Photo: Frank Lee Drennen]