Predictably unpredictable again

Though it’s established a clear comfort zone within alt-country, Blitzen Trapper has never completely confined itself there for any album nor committed to straying from it.

About half its catalogue consists of original Americana compositions in the ballpark of alt-country landmarks like Ryan Adams’ “Heartbreaker” and Uncle Tupelo’s “Anodyne.” The remainder of its songs are scattered across the playing field. Be it three minutes of flirting with heavy metal or doing its best Coldplay impression, Blitzen Trapper loves to explore any and all foreign territory.

With the opening title track of its latest album, “Destroyer of the Void,” the Oregon sextet immediately makes it clear it still has absolutely no intention of staying put. It’s yet another curveball: six minutes of tempo-bending progressive folk that feels like a Neil Young and Queen collaboration that never was.

There are also plenty of moments where the group’s heartfelt A-game shines through. The best example is bluesy murder ballad “The Man Who Would Speak True,” while “Sadie,” the album’s sweet, slow-rocking closer, caps it off in a manner highly evocative of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” 

Blitzen Trapper’s signature direction swings can be uncomfortably abrupt, but they prove the band is more versatile than erratic.