Once dubbed one of the best-kept secrets of the South, it’s hard to imagine Brother Dege remaining a chic cult figure after this blockbuster release. It’s not only a potentially transcendental door-opener for the Lafayette roots rocker—it’s one of those rare, deeply layered records that just doesn’t describe the scene, it literally whisks you there in a slightly mentally altered state without warning. The aptly titled “Judgment Day” is followed by another aptly titled tune, the apocalyptical “O’Dark30,” an instrumental propelled by intense, pounding drumming and seemingly screechy effects from the hinterlands. The background vocals of “Poor Momma Child” are ethereal; “Last Man out of Babylon” closes with a long, haunting movement where a dobro-led melody pauses and repeats amidst swirling effects and an intriguing ambience that’s much like an unending journey down a dark, foreboding corridor.

Though it’s heady sonic art and masterfully done, Dege is more than just your studio effects-only kind of guy. His cerebral, thought-provoking lyrics are rife with mystical imagery and eloquent phrasing (“The River”), not to mention shrouded in mystery. There’s usually a core concept lurking around such as overcoming insurmountable obstacles (“How to Kill a Horse”) and how letting go leads to liberation (“The Black Sea”). And more often than not, it rocks while it roars.