Between records like Relentless and Show 'Em How, Pentagram has never lacked self-awareness when it comes to album titles. The gauntlet thrown down by Lightning in a Bottle continues in this tradition. The band's 10th studio album sees founding frontman and doom metal figurehead Bobby Liebling leading a new lineup featuring guitarist/producer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere), drummer Henry Vasquez (Legions of Doom, Saint Vitus, Blood of the Sun), and bassist Scooter Haslip (Mos Generator, Saltine).
The energy this new lineup brings is undeniable on tracks like "Live Again," "Solve the Puzzle," and "In the Panic Room," yet Lightning in a Bottle remains unmistakably a Pentagram record, thanks to Liebling’s unrelenting charisma and the band's signature groove. Recorded with Reed at the helm, the album captures the essence of what has made Pentagram so influential across decades and generations of musicians, bands, and worshippers of the Riff. As just their third studio release in the last 15 years, it's a moment not to be overlooked.
Songs like "Dull Pain" and "Lady Heroin" dive deep into the emotional core of the album, with the latter serving as a raw confrontation of Liebling’s lifelong battle with opioid addiction—an inextricable part of the Pentagram story. When he asks, "Lady Heroin, have I seen the last of you?", the question lingers with an unsettling ambiguity: is the separation through sobriety or death? That uncertainty adds to the song’s striking impact.
But it’s not all brooding—doom though it may be. "Thundercrest" bursts forth with brash energy, while the title track nods to past glories without simply rehashing them. The overarching message is clear: no matter what the band has endured over the past half-century, they remain a singular force in doom metal. Lightning in a Bottle may not be the first Pentagram reboot, but it brings fresh ideas and a dynamic edge to one of the genre’s most formative acts. And from the moment you hit play, the band owns every second of it.
