Unlike many of its psychedelic proto-metal contemporaries who rarely deviate from the Black Sabbath template, Quest for Fire has a sound partly rooted in the overdriven vintage-amp tones of Crazy Horse. But since Quest for Fire hails from Toronto, it makes sense for this quartet's members to have grown up hearing the tube-burning growl of Neil Young’s tweed Deluxe amplifier more than Tony Iommi’s combo of a Gibson SG and an Orange amp. Still, the opening song here, “Bison Eyes,” isn’t so easy to pin down. It rocks with the restrained cool of an early Queens of the Stone Age tune, but with flawless three-part vocal harmonies that owe much to Blue Öyster Cult. Quest for Fire is also prone to getting mellow, as the following “Strange Waves” reveals. With the tempos dialed back and Chad Ross’ tranquil singing over a mantra of droney distortion, elongated harmonica notes, and looped blues riffs, this is easily the most hypnotic song on the band’s 2009 eponymous debut album. “Next to the Fire” sounds slightly reminiscent of The Deadly Snakes, the previous band of Ross and Mike Moszynski.