Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie (Album Review)
Monday, 09 June 2014
Written by Simon Ramsay
Sounding like the bastard offspring of Jim Morrison and Led Zeppelin brandishing pistols in a bad ass western, Rival Sons are one hell of a primordial, shit-kicking rock ‘n' roll beast.
On their fourth album, they're as exhilarating as ever, creating howling barn burners, widescreen epics and spine-tingling moments of beauty packed with intricate details and exciting detours.
It's well known there's little original territory left to conquer in rock music. All young acts can do is write great songs and imbue them with enough skill and character to give the old way a fresh-feeling lick of paint.
Although derivative, Rival Sons execute that idea with balls the size of meteorites, and with producer Dave Cobb once again at the helm their sizzling immediacy is captured over the course of 10 near flawless tracks.
As the fuzzed up opener, Electric Man, booms its way out of the speakers, it's clear you're listening to a special group as each band member's personality, ability and creativity fuses together to form a killer unit.
Singer Jay Buchanan has the sexually charged shaman act down, channelling Morrison with a voice that's electrifying, soulful and full of guts, while guitarist Scott Holiday viciously assaults his instrument to within an inch of its life. That's not to say he's unskilled, as his textures thrill and sparkle, but if he treated a human being like his axe he'd be locked away.
Complementing them is a magnificent rhythm section, with drummer Michael Miley unleashing endless scintillating fills and a constant, propulsive momentum while new bassist Dave Beste injects heavy, powerful grooves without losing their cool, hip-shaking swing.
Zeppelin influences abound, with Open Your Eyes riding a colossal stomp straight from When The Levee Breaks before a thunderous guitar drone, strutting verses, sweet arpeggios and a massive hook remould the template in the Sons’ image. Like Jimmy Page and the boys, they can easily flick a switch and blow your head off, with Play The Fool's instrumental break upping the tempo to leave you bouncing off the walls with its head-spinning energy.
Rival Sons have developed a strong cinematic quality too, conjuring sweeping visual imagery with a variety of electrifying moods. They hit hard, dark and deliciously sinister on Secret, with Buchanan hollering like Elvis Presley transforming into a werewolf, while bringing dancefloor shapes to the sun kissed sway of Good Luck and swooning latino-gothic seductiveness to Rich And Poor.
There's also great storytelling throughout, with Good Things and Where I've Been particularly mesmerising. The former’s hypnotic, cleverly constructed tales boast carpe diem denouements, while the latter’s goosebump-inducing balladry tells of a couple struggling to accept each other’s love because of past indiscretions.
On 2012’s 'Head Down', Rival Sons really started stretching themselves, and that's continued on the semi-progressive, psychedelic folk-rock of Belle Star. Centred around a Norse goddess deciding the fates of outlaw gunfighters, it bombs along on a trippy rhythm that echoes Zeppelin's Achilles Last Stand, before a dreamy Tim Buckley-esque passage swirls with ethereal magic.
Destination On Course is equally ambitious, with whirling choral chants fit to open the gates of Valhalla and apocalyptic slide work from Holiday. Its outro jam then takes the breakdown from you-know-who's Whole Lotta Love and shoots it full of funky fire and brimstone.
Rival Sons may dislike the retro tag, but they should wear it as a badge of honour. The unvarnished honesty, spectacularly realised ambition and resounding quality of 'Great Western Valkyrie' pisses all over the polished, safe emptiness that infects so much contemporary music.
Rival Sons Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon June 09 2014 - LONDON Scala
Tue June 10 2014 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Wed June 11 2014 - EDINBURGH Liquid Room
Thu June 12 2014 - MANCHESTER Manchester Gorilla
Mon June 16 2014 - EDINBURGH Liquid Room
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