Since its inception, the “Legends of the Desert” split series has been one that has never left my radar. Already having made itself known as one of the best split series out there in my opinion, it was with great agony that I found myself leaving 2022 without having received the third volume of this series since June of the previous year. But, all good things come to those who wait and when you’re dealing with the quality that is very carefully curated by the likes of Desert Records, patience is your best ally. A beacon of talent from the American Southwest, it is only natural that the scope of “Legends of the Desert” would overtake the likes of Fatso Jetson and Dali’s Llama in just its third edition.

To know even a little bit about the world of desert rock and the wonders that it has sprung from the Sonoran sun to beyond the rolling plains in Texas to all the way to the outskirts of the mile-high city is to find yourself before an eclectic bunch that has been made of need-to-know names since each of their inceptions. Time seems to have little to no effect on these names, however, as it can easily seem as though many names are cranking out the excellence of the same caliber as they were at their peak. In no small way, both Fatso Jetson and Dali’s Llama are the epitome of such talent. Two distinct but true embodiments of the sound of the desert town drowning in the sunset while the locals gather at the saloon to let loose and forget the heat with the struggles it brings, the four tracks that each band bring forth here are naught but further glory from the legends.

Arguably the progenitors of desert rock itself and all that has poured forth from a fateful performance, Fatso Jetson’s decades-long career has led them across many highlights and wonders that people won’t be keen to forget anytime soon with their contributions here precisely what any of us could’ve hoped for from the quartet. Never once failing to incorporate damn near every aspect of their sound from their psychedelic tendencies that come to life in “Todas Petrol Blues” to their punk-thinged rock roots that are embodied beautifully for both “Angels Flight” and “One of Seven”, the infectious nature of Fatso Jetson still has yet to fall into the realm of question and doubt. Right on their heels and by their sides as Palm Desert neighbors, Dali’s Llama still has yet to disappoint my ears. An eclectic blend that brings a distinct southern twang to their material that fits flawlessly with riffs that roll right off the string while always evoking a special breed of euphoria that only prime desert rock is able to summon forth, each track of Dali’s Llama performance for “Legends of the Desert” is something to behold. Whether it’s the grooviness of “Coyotes in the Graveyard” or the snap of “Rarified”, Dali’s Llama quality still has yet to fumble in thirty years and fifteen albums. Separate, both acts deliver performances that are worthy of immensely flavorful EPs. However, it is as a combined effort that both Fatso Jetson and Dali’s Llama continues to show that “Legends of the Desert” is more than a simple series of B-sides from bands with hardly anything in common.

Hands down, “Legends of the Desert” continues to be an ongoing creation that proceeds to present to us the current state of what the Southwestern desert rock realm is still able to deliver amongst its buttes, above its mountains, and down its rivers. Some of the most interesting acts in the game have already been involved in the series including both Lord Buffalo and Cortége, but it has got to be with “Volume 3” that we bear witness to the most grandiose combination yet. Both Dali’s Llama and Fatso Jetson have moved the mountains to bring us the glory that we are able to stand before today, and it is in their grand combined shadow that one cannot help but be swept away by the power that each summons forth. A growing bastion of the genre at large, “Legends of the Desert” surely still has many more sights to show us!

“Legends of the Desert: Volume 3” releases on March 24th via Desert Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Legends of the Desert: Volume 3” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Fatso Jetson on Facebook here.

LIKE Dali’s Llama on Facebook here.