The Turning is a pulp novel turned into a metal album.

And that is some of the highest praise I can heap on North Carolina stalwarts Bask. The churning mix of country, stoner metal, old school rock’n’roll, and cosmic storytelling lands The Turning somewhere between Conan and John Carter. It’s space cowboys with riffs. But this is no thudding slab of simple guitar chugging. The evolution of these ever spiraling, mutating songs is astonishing, and with pedal steel and strings in tow, The Turning is heartfelt and beautiful before it dives back down into head-banging goodness. We talked to Zeb below.