If you’ve already heard of Earthless, you probably don’t need to read this review. Likewise if you’ve heard of Roadburn – the festival at which this double-disc live album was recorded – you can probably surmise all you need to know without my help. To the rest of you, I say “fear not”, for this review will be short by both choice and necessity.

By necessity: because Live at Roadburn is the sort of album that has to speak for itself, and which does so perfectly well. Here are some basic facts about Earthless and their album to help you decide whether this is the right choice for you:

    * Earthless are a three-piece instrumental rock band featuring former members of Rocket From The Crypt, Nebula and Electric Nazarene
    * Roadburn is a Netherlands-based annual riff-rock festival – think Wacken, but for stoners
    * Live at Roadburn spans two CDs with nearly an hour and a half of music, but lists only four songs on the track roster

In case it’s still not clear, I’ll be blunt: if you find the idea of twenty-minute tunes that consist chiefly of a solid rock rhythm decorated with oodles of super-fast pedal-drenched blues-scale fretboard meanderings a turn off, Earthless are not the droids you are looking for, and you can go about your business.

Still here? Cool – that’s why I chose to make the review short. Now, you line up a few loaded bongs while I snare a couple of beers from the fridge; then we’ll sit down, blow our brains like old amplifier tubes and let Earthless run riot through the shards while we mumble about maybe taking a trip to Holland some time next year, man…