Consuming the Tangible

Last year a random grab of promos for Nine Circles yielded a ton of surprise discoveries that went on to be some of my favorite music of the year. Godzillionaire was one of them, and their 2025 release Diminishing Returns quickly established itself as one of the premier stoner/alternative rock albums of the past few years. So when the news came out that Ripple Music–always dedicated to the most righteous of grooves–decided to reissue the band’s previous record Negative Balance on vinyl, I jumped at it…except I thought it was a brand new album.

See? Even in my 50s it’s good to know I’m still capable of being an uninformed idiot.

Good thing the album is pretty damn fine.

Bolstered by the vocals of Mark Hennessy, who also fronted the grassroots alternative rock band Paw, the music on Negative Balance straddles a line of melancholic, pointed alternative rock and rougher, raw stoner grunge that edges into straight ahead metal in its most aggressive moments. For the reissue Ripple went all out, with beautiful white vinyl matching the album art’s color palette, a sweeping gatefold with credits outlined like a film, matching the peculiar naming conventions loosely wrapped around a conceit where a doomed airline provides the framework for the band to strut their stuff.

The album proper starts with the seductive rhythms imparted by “Exit the Succubus / Bankrupt, Naked, & Void (Theme From Negative Balance).” It’s a sinewy tempo, restrained and repetitive, allowing Hennessy’s vocals to lull you into a false sense of security before “The Solution is Laughable” reveals its chonky riffing courtesy of guitarist Ben White. The guitars have a thick, clipped distortion whose empty spaces are filled in by the depths Michael Dye brings with his bass and synth work, leaving drummer Cody Romaine to supply a steady, thunderous beat to lock everything in place.

I’m not saying there’s anything especially innovative at work here, but Godzillionaire are acutely aware that hundreds, thousands of bands are trying to lay claim to the same vibes, so what Negative Balance does so well is focus on song craft and mood. Songs like the stellar “Ghost” take the melody and hooks of the 90s grunge scene and inject modern sensibilities: I love the muted arpeggio that introduces the final section of the song. Elsewhere later tracks like “The Song That Left Town & Didn’t Leave a Note” and the deep, doomy dredge of “Holy Roller” show the menace Godzillionaire can bring to the rock, but in end (perhaps surprisingly) it’s the more melancholic moments that stick with me.

Those looking for actual songs as opposed to background sounds, who were there and miss the way rock went every which way back in the ’90s, Negative Balance is for you, as is the rest of what Godzillionaire does. I’m wrapping up my third listen today as I write this, and I’m already thinking about spinning it one more time.

At least.