Rival Sons - Feral Roots

Artist: Rival Sons
Album: Feral Roots
Year: 2019
Rating: 93/100

Well, bloody hell. Where do I start with this? Everyone seems to be acquainted with Rival Sons and their energetic, high octane brand of hard rock, only this time it seems to have been cranked up to 11, and unlike Greta Van Fleet, the LA quartet are absolutely the real deal. They've seemingly been on a creative roll since Great Western Valkyrie dropped in 2014, and album number five, Feral Roots, is their first album for Atlantic Records.

It doesn't feel like Rival Sons have elected to polish their sound to excess, which is an encouraging start. Opening track "Do Your Worst" is very much business as usual, with the taut rhythm section of Dave Beste and Mike Miley holding a steady groove down, while guitarist Scott Holiday makes his guitar squeal in a way that only he can against the soaring holler of Jay Buchanan's vocals. Elsewhere, the acoustic intros of "Look Away", "End of Forever" and the title track provide a welcome change of pace, while gospel-tinged closing number "Shooting Stars" winds things down perfectly.

While Feral Roots is certainly more accessible than its predecessor Hollow Bones was, that's something that works in its favour. This album feels very much like the album that would deservedly propel Rival Sons into rock's big leagues, and not a moment too soon, either. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Track listing

1. Do Your Worst
2. Sugar on the Bone
3. Back in the Woods
4. Look Away
5. Feral Roots
6. Too Bad
7. Stood By Me
8. Imperial Joy
9. All Directions
10. End of Forever
11. Shooting Stars

The Twilight Sad - It Won't Be Like This All the Time

Artist: The Twilight Sad
Album: It Won't Be Like This All the Time
Year: 2019
Rating: 88/100

It's been a little over a decade since Scottish shoegaze quintet The Twilight Sad first arrived on the scene with a sonic arsenal that both assaulted and delighted our ears. It Won't Be Like This All the Time is the fifth album in their canon, released on Rock Action Records, a label owned by legendary post-rockers Mogwai. So how does this one stack up?

Well, the album gets off to a strong start with the track "[10 Good Reasons For Modern Drugs]", a heavily layered wall of sound with some stop-start drumming, dense guitars and keyboards from Andy MacFarlane and Brendan Smith respectively, set against the backdrop of the plaintive, mournful vocals of James Graham. Elsewhere, the brightest spots include "VTr", with its strong Brian Eno influences shining through in the music, and lead off single "Videograms" closing the album in fine fashion. 

The Twilight Sad have carved out a reputation for being one of the loudest, most musically intense bands on the live stage, and It Won't Be Like This All the Time embodies this perfectly. The album is consistently strong and the songs are exquisitely crafted. A highly recommended listen.

Track listing

1. [10 Good Reasons For Modern Drugs]
2. Shooting Dennis Hopper Shooting
3. The Arbor
4. VTr
5. Sunday Day13
6. I/m Not Here [Missing Face]
7. Auge/Maschine
8. Keep it All to Myself
9. Girl Chewing Gum
10. Let/s Get Lost
11. Videograms

Soilwork - Verkligheten

Artist: Soilwork
Album: Verkligheten
Year: 2019
Rating: 76/100

With a long and illustrious career behind them now, Helsingborg melodic death metal stalwarts Soilwork gear up to give us their eleventh studio album, "Verkligheten" (in English: Reality). This also gives them the opportunity to announce new drummer Bastian Thusgaard, who replaced Dirk Verbeuren when he went to join Megadeth. So how does this one stack up?

The title track "Verkligheten" sets the tone for what comes before "Arrival" launches itself into life with a barrage of blastbeats, buzzsaw guitars and Björn "Speed" Strid's ability to switch between a mid pitch scream and his excellent clean tones. We get a few other gems among the standard Soilwork fare, like "Bleeder Despoiler", "The Nurturing Glance", and "Needles and Kin", featuring a solid guest growled vocal turn from Amorphis frontman Tomi Joutsen. Elsewhere, Arch Enemy frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz appears on "Stålfågel", one of the more interesting numbers on the album.

"Verkligheten" is a solid album on the whole, but it's not an album that will win Soilwork any new fans, unlike some of its more spectacular predecessors like "The Chainheart Machine" and "Natural Born Chaos", or even "The Living Infinite". However, it serves as a solid introduction to the band for new drummer Bastian Thusgaard, who can deliver some solid blastbeats as well as the slower numbers.

Track listing

1. Verkligheten (instrumental)
2. Arrival
3. Bleeder Despoiler
4. Full Moon Shoals
5. The Nurturing Glance
6. When the Universe Spoke
7. Stålfågel
8. The Wolves are Back in Town
9. Witan
10. The Ageless Whisper
11. Needles and Kin (featuring Tomi Joutsen)
12. You Aquiver (featuring Dave Sheldon)

John Garcia and the Band of Gold - John Garcia and the Band of Gold

Artist: John Garcia and the Band of Gold
Album: John Garcia and the Band of Gold
Year: 2019
Rating: 82/100

It's no secret that I've always been a fan of John Garcia's work since his days fronting Kyuss. From Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano and Vista Chino, to the Band of Gold, his distinctive trademark holler has been delighting the ears of stoner rock fans since 1991, and with the self titled effort from him and the Band of Gold, this is his third solo effort.

If there's one old adage that John Garcia seems to firmly believe, it's "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". More of the same is very much the order of the day: taut drumming, thunderous bass grooves that jolt the ears and buzzsaw guitars, topped off with Garcia's vocals, and it works a treat. "Jim's Whiskers" sets the tone of the album nicely, sounding not wholly different to something you'd have heard by Vista Chino or latter day Hermano. "Kentucky II" is a rollicking groover with a tidy opening riff and more of the same, as are "Lillianna" and "Apache Junction".

If there is a criticism of the album to be made, it's that the album won't gain a lot of traction outside of Garcia's and Kyuss's fan base. Those who know and love Kyuss, and Garcia, by extension, will doubtless find something to enjoy here. More of the same, but that's not a bad thing.

Track listing

1. Space Vato
2. Jim's Whiskers
3. Chicken Delight
4. Kentucky II
5. My Everything
6. Lillianna
7. Popcorn (Hit Me When You Can)
8. Apache Junction
9. Don't Even Think About It
10. Cheyletiella
11. Softer Side