Although Brant Bjork is one of the more notable figures in stoner and desert rock, Punk Rock Guilt is my first taste of the legend’s musical proficiency.

Bjork kicks off Punk Rock Guilt with Lion One, a 10-minute detonation of thick guitar riffs, smooth throaty lyrics and zealous percussion.

I was immediately hooked, but guarded.

In my experience, one should not get too excited when the first song on the album punches you between the eyes. Too often, the rest of the album fails to live up to its opening act.

Brant Bjork fans can relax – Punk Rock Guilt does not allow itself to fall into this all too routine chasm of mediocrity.

Bjork follows Lion One with Dr. Special. While this may be the shortest tune on the CD, it offers a baseline that drips with rock/funk. You cannot listen to this song without moving to it. It is, in many ways, entrancing.

Other notable tracks include This Place, Born To Rock and Shocked By The Static.

Punk Rock Guilt wraps up in the same fashion as it started, book-ending six solid songs with another 10-minute trip inside Bjork’s mind.

Locked and Loaded is a slow, methodical track that begs you to lean back and immerse yourself in its blanket of … well, coolness, and is just one of the fine examples of Bjork’s songwriting.

The lyrics throughout the length of the album prove to be no-nonsense, and Bjork’s delivery is extraordinary to say the least.

Recorded in 2005 in New Jersey, Punk Rock Guilt has been sitting on the shelf for three years.

It seems as though it was well worth the wait.

3 Stars