Wolfmother - Wolfmother

Thu 2nd Dec, 2004 in Music Reviews

On my 12^th birthday my older brother gave me a copy of Black Sabbath Vol. 4 on vinyl. This is what cast the mould of music for me and it looks like the howling vocals and breakdowns of ‘70s fuzz rock are back in the shape of Wolfmother. A lot of hype has surrounded this Sydney three-piece in the last six months. Hailed as a Frankenstein-esque Led Zeppelin/ Black Sabbath/Kyuss beast of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll, this year Wolfmother have gone from playing Sydney’s Newtown RSL to national sell-out shows. Additionally, showcases in the US and the UK and support slots with the likes of The Bronx and The Black Keys left the band just enough time to release this self-produced, self-titled four-track EP.

The recent rock “revival” has produced many pseudo cover bands simply regurgitating (and destroying) some great riffs and melodies of the ‘70s and early ‘80s. These bands have failed to capture the spirit of the time where lyrics gave you something to chew on and guitars were deafening loud; this is where Wolfmother succeeds with some help from mastering by the Dirtbomb’s Jim Diamond. Wolfmother are Andrew Stockdale on guitar and vocals, Chris Ross on bass and organ and Myles Heskett on drums who wear their influences on their sleeves fusing gutsy power chords over more subtle, raw funk and fleshy Deep Purple keyboards.

Woman is the one song that will have any long-haired Led-hed windmilling in time, with Stockdale’s vocals resonating Robert Plant’s swaggering style. It’s catchy tempo and funky fat bass runs have given it plenty of air-play on local radio and now Dimensions’ thumping drumbeats are making the Triple JJJ Top 40 rounds. The track White Unicorn is a 7.45min celebration of acid flashbacks and psychedelic art rock with ample breakdowns to stir you from your crushed velvet floor cushion. Ross plays both the sludgy, throbbing, primordial distorted bass and organ which he literally juggles on stage during the bands live shows.

I would normally sign on to bands of this ilk but Wolfmother’s first recording just sounds too much like my idol Ozzy but without the booze n pills and “witches at black masses”. Saying that, their live show is more impressive with loud and fat guitar riffs and a sound leaning more towards The White Stripes if they were a three piece. In the flesh, the band look more wispy indie kids than leather clad rock legends, but their sound is primal fuzz rock to the core and will blow any so called rock revivalist’s Jet poster off the wall. Definitely give this a spin if you want to preserve your mint condition vinyl back catalogue.