Superheavygoatass

Nemesis (Arclight)

Malaysian bootleg graphics match the early-Dumpster production values of this Room 710 mainstay’s third LP, which actually imbues Nemesis with a perfect haze through which the local dirty Southern metal quartet’s crosscurrents thrive. Frontman/guitarist Russell Abbott’s vocal on “Ice” won’t kill off Chris Cornell, but his canyon croon gets the grandeur across. “Dirty” guitar harmonies shift “Driver,” while the Monster Magnet-esque title cut and Western snarl of “Nameless Grave” and “Down That Road” rule.

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This article appears in May 29 • 2009.

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San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.