Nebula's second true full-length album,
Charged begins to reign in the previous extended jams somewhat, improving the consistency of the band's songwriting.
Nebula's fusion of
Blue Cheer and
Mudhoney is very much intact, and
Eddie Glass' limited vocal range still resembles a stoned, mellowed-out
Mark Arm -- all of which means that
Nebula hasn't exactly evolved into the hookiest band on the planet. But the sheer power of
Nebula's riffs has never been quite as focused as it is on
Charged and, what's more, the band's arrangements continue to grow more detailed, incorporating layers of acoustic guitars and trippy background effects on some tracks. So, even if
Charged isn't a huge leap forward, it still represents a progression that helps explain why
Nebula continues to move toward the front of the stoner rock pack. ~ Steve Huey