Revival efforts are tricky.

When a band breaks up, even for the most amicable reasons, it sends a message that the story is over. That great journey a band takes its fans on is precious, especially when it ends. To some, it’s sacred.

So making the decision to reunite and put out new music should not be taken lightly.

Fortunately, The Afghan Whigs did the right thing by getting back together. The painfully underrated ‘90s alternative rock band just put out “Do to the Beast,”their first album in 16 years. While it may not be as brutally beautiful as their earlier work, in all its grungy glory, it comes very close.

As if the odds weren’t stacked against them enough, The Afghan Whigs put out this solid record without their original lead guitar player. The band announced in February that Rick McCollum was no longer a member of the group and all the lead guitar parts on the album were recorded by a variety of other guitarists.

McCollum’s absence is not even noticeable on “Do to the Beast,”which is packed with the same sludgy, guitar-driven alternative rock that gave the band a place in the ‘90s grunge scene.

One of the best parts of “Do to the Beast,”and all of the band’s music, is Greg Dulli’s vocals. He has that soulful growl made famous by the likes of Chris Cornell or Eddie Vedder, but he’s much more likely to slip into a falsetto when the music calls for a more vulnerable delivery.

Part of the problem with reunion efforts is that voices change as singers get older, especially rock singers who may not seek the proper methods for taking care of their vocal instrument.

But that’s not a problem for Dulli. “Do to the Beast”sounds like a natural continuation from their last album and the music is even better.

The greatest examples of the growth of the band members as musicians come from two very different songs: “These Sticks”and “Can Rova.”

“These Sticks,”the closing track, is the longest song on the record, clocking in at just less than six minutes. The Afghan Whigs use that time to take listeners on a journey through dynamic ranges and lush instrumentation.

The song begins with a fingerpicked electric guitar that has the same eerie vibe as Radiohead’s “Street Spirit (Fade Out).” Whenever The Afghan Whigs start a song softly, the music sounds suppressed, suffocated, like it’s struggling to erupt.

And then it does. Powerful, almost tribal drumbeats drive up the energy on “These Sticks.”Strings and horns creep in. And suddenly, Dulli is wailing over a wall of sound and you almost can’t remember how you got there.

Where “These Sticks”is the best example of The Afghan Whigs’grasp on dynamics and their ability to take listeners on a journey, “Can Rova”is the best example to date of the band’s skill in creating soundscapes.

The reverb-laden ballad uses a gently strummed acoustic guitar as its foundation, with clean electric guitar drop-ins swirling around and even some strings easing in and out of earshot. It sounds wide-open, desolate but warm.

And as if expressive vocals and strong music weren’t enough to make “Do to the Beast”a success, Dulli is still writing some of the most heartbreaking lyrics in rock. And “Can Rova”is perhaps the best reason why.

The song is about escape. It starts off sounding like a romantic plot to run away with a lover and ends as one of the most crushing breakup songs in recent rock memory.

Its strength lies in its simplicity, but there’s just enough poetry in the writing to keep it from being dull.

“As those city lights die, I’m on my way,”he sings in “Can Rova”. “You gonna see me light a fire some hot day. But you don’t need me, you don’t need me, you don’t need me. I don’t need you anymore.”

Reunions only work when the musicians involved have something left to say, and if “Do to the Beast”is any indication of what Dulli still has on his chest, one can only hope this isn’t the last we hear from The Afghan Whigs.

Published on April 22, 2014 at 1:00 am

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