Nick Oliveri – N.O. Hits At All Vol. 8 & 9
Release Date: 19th January 2024
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Bandcamp (Vol 8)
Bandcamp (Vol 9)
Genre: Stoner, Punk.
FFO: Dwarves, QOTSA, Kyuss.
Review By: Hillary Wisniewski
I once watched a show in which a man lived in cave systems and only surfaced to obtain supplies and sell precious gems he found. This was the extent of his contact with other human beings and the world in general. If you have been living in a similar situation, then you likely don’t know about Nick Oliveri. Otherwise, you have at least heard of him here or there or are familiar with one of the many projects he has been involved in during his 35-year career. Let’s look at the roster: he is best known for his work with Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, The Dwarves, and Mondo Generator. In addition, he has been involved with numerous projects such as Nick Oliveri’s Death Acoustic, Death Machine, Stöner, Desert Sessions, The Uncontrollable with Blag Dahlia, Mark Lanegan Band, Masters of Reality, and Turbonegro. Needless to say, this dude has chops and quite an eclectic and expansive career. It is easy to see how he could easily release not one, but two volumes of music in one fell swoop.
N.O. Hits At All Vol. 8 & 9 is not some sort of cohesive or thematic work, but rather one that bounces around in a jittery, disconnected manner. It is a journey throughout one man’s career, and we decided to buy the ticket and take the ride. We start in the vast deserts of the Southwestern states. Looking across the desolate landscape, we hear something remarkable in the distance. Curiosity gets the best of us, so we wander deeper into the barren wasteland. Music swells and fills the air; the familiar tones and riffs of stoner rock ring out. We know this is how it should be, as it was this genre that started it all. Those formative years were critical in preparing Oliveri for other endeavours. Time to leave the safety and predictability of stoner rock and the heat of the desert and set out on the next leg of our trip. Get ready to be dragged into a scummy, dingy, graffiti laden punk dive. Intense, frenzied riffs fill our ears, our head swirls, the energy in the air is electric. This is where Oliveri is at his best; he really captures a rawness and agitation that is reminiscent of the punk of old with a bit of flair. The scene gets a bit intense for us (we are old heads after all), so we wander down the street to a hole in the wall bar and upon entering we hear an acoustic guitar. There is a man bellowing with a tone that at times is reminiscent of Tom Waits. The smell of whisky and cigarettes hangs heavy in the air, we stay stone faced and nod to the 3 other gents who are cradling their drinks at the bar, and we notice a woman trying to cosy up to someone in order to get a drink. Looking at her, we can just tell she lived a life. Man, we feel awfully dirty for being there, but we stick around because we are curious as to how the night will end. Maybe there will be something shady that goes on after the bartender shouts last call. We secretly hope there will be some further debauchery. That will be another tale to tell.
And that sums it up- this is quite a visual album that goes in a lot of directions. Truthfully, I was quick to dismiss it after one listen, and the acoustic material frustrated me a bit. But I decided to stick around and see where it would go, and it ended up growing on me. No, there isn’t anything experimental on here and these are sounds that should be familiar to fans of Oliveri, but damn this collection has heart.
(4 / 5)
