Grand Union

For many rock fans, whenever modern-day rock music hits a rut, you can always count on your trusty old Zeppelin and Sabbath albums to help blow away your blues. And many bands nowadays are going right to these aforementioned sources of inspiration themselves -- including the British power trio Firebird. Although led by Carcass founder Bill Steer, Firebird's brand of metal has nothing to with fierce grind 'n' thrash -- it's entirely based on the monolithic riffs and grooves of the Zeppelin and Sabbath. And on their fifth album overall, 2009's Grand Union, the lads are still cruising down this sonic turnpike. Everything about this release reeks of the '70s -- including the songs on the CD being listed as belonging to a "Side A" and a "Side B." Give a listen to such trippy ditties as "Blue Flame" and "Lonely Road," and be prepared to be transported to the heady days of incense, bell-bottoms, afros, and blacklight posters.