After 2007’s Rhythms from the Sky, Earthless fans were left hanging for some six years, waiting to see what the psych-stoner instrumental band would churn up next. Much to everyone’s relief, From the Ages doesn’t try to push new sounds or forms into the mix; the SoCal trio stays firmly in the arena inhabited by precious few bands of note. Muscular, sweaty, and monumental, the sheer force of Earthless drummer Mario Rubalcaba threatens to burst sub-woofers into kaleidoscopic shards, and guitarist Isaiah Mitchell works his notes into bendable shafts of steel and light. This is hard stuff from the darkest corners of the ‘70s, where pungent unwashed leather and bike fumes mingle with all that was excessive about the decade. From the Ages is organic and primal, and it's inarguably amazing. Mitchell’s guitar cuts like a scythe through 14 minutes of the opening track, “Violence of the Red Sea,” scraping and scrapping and throwing sparks; Rubalcaba and bassist Mike Eginton play tag team behind the wheel. It'd be exhausting if it weren’t so exhilarating.