There was a moment during the opening of Corrupt Translation Machine, the third full-length from Salt Lake City’s Dwellers where, returning from a moment of distraction, I could have sworn I was listening to an Alice in Chains song. That’s a huge compliment, because outside of the actual AiC (themselves evolving past their ’90s roots) I can’t think of anyone else embodying this blend of psychedelic doom, grunge, and Americana folk and blues so cohesively. A real surprise of a discovery, but no surprise to have found them on Small Stone Records, fast becoming one of my favorite and most dependable labels for heavy, progressive, and psychedelic rock albums. Add this one to an already impressive list of great releases.

It’s been over a decade since the band’s previous album Pagan Fruit, and the only member surviving from that configuration is vocalist/guitarist Joey Toscano. The mission statement is still the same, though: weaving heady doses of melody into a dark blanket of doom, grunge, and sludge. To that end Toscano expanded Dwellers to a quartet, and the way Oz Inglorious (bass), Kellii Scott (drums), and Chase Cluff (synthesizers, rhodes piano) flesh out the band’s lush and impactful sound out of the gate, with single “Headlines” delivering into the heavy tread of “Spiral Vision.”

Two great tracks, but where my head really comes around to what Dwellers gives me is on “Old Ways.” Maybe it’s the heavy Gilmour phrasing and fullness of the solo, or the sweeping pads and chiming chords that ring out, which again might be my DNA reacting to any and all things Pink Floyd. But there’s that AiC sense of melody, and that very signature dual singing approach that so closely evokes the Staley/Cantrell vibe if it’s not homage it’s outright crime. Super effective though, and I think is Toscano doubling himself? Not sure – he’s the only one credited with vocals on the album’s liner notes – but when I listen closely to “The Beast” with its heavy vocal component I’m startled by the variety he brings across.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised: Toscano wrote, arranged, and produced the entirety of Corrupt Translation Machine himself. I’m happy to say though it doesn’t sound anything like a one-man vanity project. Instead, another touchpoint as “Inside Infinity” kicks off the second, more diverse half of the record is Mastodon, a band adept at shifting styles without ever losing sight of an album’s thematic course. The closing track “Marigold (Heart of Stone)” is a gorgeous 11-minute epic, hiking the acoustic country and folk levels so close to ’70s it’s uncanny. I’ve had it on the playlist before, so if you’re not already familiar with Dwellers now’s your chance to jump in with this stellar reboot.

And hey, check out Small Stone Records while you’re at it. Great label.