It’s nice to know someone out there took it to heart when Ian Gillan invited them to go space trucking. German riffonauts Black Space Riders mention to space in each of the 13 titles on their self-titled Sound Guerilla debut full-length, from opener “Spacebomb” right through to the end with “Space Trilogy Part III: Space Collision,” it’s basically the theme they’re working with, and from the sound of things, they’re having a good time with it. Cuts like “Lonely Space Trucking Man” and my personal favorite, “Stoned Bikers in Space,” show that it’s not about prog posturing for Black Space Riders or about who can noodle their way into the outer reaches of the cosmos, but about being a little silly, enjoying yourself and riffing out. If you’ve got to have a formula, this one’s certainly proven effective.

Black Space Riders starts off with a collection of straightforward and catchy biker space rock numbers, beginning with the aforementioned “Spacebomb” and moving after the interlude “Black Part I: Blackspacing” to the memorable call and response of “Black Part II: Space is Black” before epitomizing the genre in which it dwells with “Stoned Bikers in Space.” Granted, it’s hard to take something called “Stoned Bikers in Space” completely seriously, but in addition to having fun with riffs and grooves, Black Space Riders work in a number of stoner elements from acts as wide ranging as Orange Goblin (on that track) to Brant Bjork (“Black Book of Cosmic Salvation Part II: I, Black Space Messiah”), the guitars of JE and SLI, the former who also handles vocals, more than adaptable to either furious riffing, laid back grooves or even – who would have guessed? – the moody deep space affectations of “Hide from the Spacelight.”

On that song, the lyrics issue a request to be covered in hair and blood in succession, and that provides a quizzical moment on Black Space Riders – a kind of “huh?” double-take – but the record’s second ambient interlude, “Black Book of Cosmic Salvation Part I: A Short Mess(i)age from the Black Space Rider,” leads into the second part of that series and Black Space Riders take an appropriate moment to let both the song and the album breathe. Tonally, “Black Book of Cosmic Salvation Part II: I, Black Space Messiah” is probably the most satisfying work on Black Space Riders – I still wouldn’t call it an album highlight over “Stoned Bikers in Space,” if only for the novelty of that song – but it’s right in line with a whole league of heavy neo-psych, from Colour Haze to 35007. Contrasting it with the brash howling punk of “Voodoo Spaceship,” on which bassist SAQ provides backing vocals to JE, and drummer CRIP has no trouble finding and exploiting the downbeat, is a smart move, as it snaps the listener out of the induced psychedelic trance of the song before, setting up the return to the catchy heavy rock-ness that comes on with “Ride on, Black Space Rider” and “Lonely Space Trucking Man.”

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