‘Avalanche’ is somewhat of an underrated gem. Leslie West’s mean guitar tone prevails throughout the majority of the album, leading off with a cover of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, while adding a loose remake of “Satisfaction”. And the free-wheelin’ “You Better Believe It” serves as a proto stoner guitar workout, as the big man commands with a furious six string assault of distortion and fuzz, and cowbell fills augment the nearly-six-minute jamming cut. “Sister Justice” rolls behind a cool riff and a full-on ’70s groove. With guitarist David Perry, Corky Laing on the drums and Felix Pappalardi on keys & bass guitar this is definitely the most consistent and hardest rocking Mountain album in their discography.
