Sand-shaved meteor-rock and roll group Kyuss were one of the more interesting detours of the Nineties music scene. From 1990 to 1995, the band released five studio recordings that would become a cornerstone of the stoner-rock genre, before eventually disintegrating into other projects. Kyuss is a band -- a sound that can't be traced to any one point of origin. With a preponderance of bluesy riffs, lusty psychadelica and crunching distortion, their music is a composite of rock and metal where The Doors' romantic spirit of the western traveler meets the arid climate of the American southwest.

This compilation reveals a sampling of distinct artists touched by the particular ideas Kyuss brought forth, and as one might expect is as sonically diverse as the troop they honor.

Dias de Garage has professionally assembled this tribute with sixteen Argentine bands covering sixteen songs from the Kyuss catalog. The booklet lists the relevant information alongside photos where empty stretches of Buenos Aires highway peek into a blank horizon, connecting the mood of two cultures on the same deserted path -- it's not hard to see why, if no one in North America cared enough to put out something like this, beyond our equatorial border would be the perfect and abundant locale for such an undertaking. For good measure, liner notes by Kyuss bassist Scott Reeder, who extends his thanks as well as relating the rejuvenating aspects of this disc (no bullshit about feeling "old"), gives the release an official seal of approval.

Now that we've cracked the shell, how do these versions compare?

A bit more colorful but faithful, these interpretations tend to filter out into a more psychedelic sound, but for the most part avoid gimmickry. The strongest among them are represented by Cygnus ("Thumb"); Buffalo, who, despite the vocalist's equivalence to Billy Corgan, pound out a great version of "Odyssey"; Sauron, who manage to make "Phototropic" sound even more (blissfully) dated; Sick Porky ("Demon Cleaner"); Poseidica's mellow classic rock style version of "Asteroid"; and Los Natas performing "Allen's Wrench" with dark, masticating overdrive. Less inspiring but still fair are Sunferno's take on "Gardenia" (accurate but with less power) and Regular XON offering a remixed version of "El Rodeo". I found other tracks like Super Extra ("Space Cadet") and Sereen ("Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop") to be the most eccentric tracks on the album (the latter has a particularly odd bar-rock vibe, but maybe I just watch too many Robert Rodriguez movies). The rest, like Taura covering "Writhe" and Melissa "One Inch Man", are well produced but just a little bland, and sink behind the creative approach of the other bands.

All in all, a well done tribute that provides a dual service, allowing these more obscure bands to expose their collective sound, derived from that psychic landscape of drugs, love and fast cars in the sun: Kyuss.