What is rock? Well, that depends on who you ask. Despite the fact that there are billions of sub-genres out there for us diehard music fans to keep straight, people can say pretty much anything is rock. Luckily, most record stores tend to lump everything from Britney Spears to Merzbow under the convenient "Rock/Pop/R&B;" heading. It's only when you have to start looking for an album in the "Rock," "Alternative," and "Pop" sections that these minute genre distinctions become a real pain in the ass. But there's no question what Trance States in Tongues is. It's a rock album. Good, old-fashioned, retro-style rock. No pretensions, no bullshit. Rock. Take it or leave it.

If Wayne Kramer, Keith Moon, and Bill Wyman had started a band and gotten a Hendrix clone to cover vocals, they'd probably be shooting for the same thing as Zen Guerrilla (though there's no doubt they'd do it infinitely better). Heavily Stooges-influenced pentatonic guitar riffs, thumping bass, furious drumming, and Marcus Durant's vocals give Trance States in Tongues a very retro feel. Ultimately, though, the album's pretty homogenous. It has its ups (the riff-fueled "Mod Riot") and its downs (the unlistenable guitar slaughter on the cover of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream"), but there's little variation over the course of the album.

The band's lack of originality doesn't slow them down, though. In fact, Zen Guerrilla's music would probably come right apart if it strayed too far from its formula. But by restricting themselves to a formulaic sound, these guys severely limit what they're capable of getting across. Retro rock is cool and all, but there's something inherently self-defeating in playing a kind of music that reached its pinnacle thirty years ago. By its very nature, a retro rock band will always exist in the shadow of the icons of the 60's and 70's that they've based their style upon.

Does Trance States in Tongues rock? Yes. Is it good for what it is? Yes. Would you be better off buying Iggy and the Stooges' Raw Power? Yes.

-Matt LeMay