BLACK SPIDERS

After waiting for a more than adequate length of time for a full length album release from Black Spiders (nearly 3 years, yes folks, that is correct – ‘St. Peter’ was, in fact, released in 2008), fans can rejoice when ‘Sons Of The North’ makes its official release on February 7th 2011 because it is absolutely magnificent. The album leaps into action with ‘Stay Down’ thundering through, strong guitar rhythms and a somewhat southern drawl to the tone, setting the style nicely. If you like a band that can inject their music with a little touch of humour, Black Spiders will treat you nicely as ‘KISS Tried To Kill Me’ is a little ditty about the super mega rock stars attempting to kill vocalist Pete Spiby in his dreams. It’s a tune that will have you singing “KISS tried to kill me, it was Gene, not Paul!” in no time at all; normal eh? In terms of technicality, this album allows the band to shine: the guitar work from Pete, Mark and Ozzy is fantastic, racing along until it hits a ‘kick in the face’ solo or it peaks at a crescendo for Pete’s soaring vocals to slide across. Irwen’s bass is a solid beat to bang your head along to whilst Si’s thundering drum work stays consistent throughout the full album, and leads me to the conclusion that he is in fact one of the best drummers in rock music at the moment, despite the fact he isn’t attempting a million fills a minute or hitting out with double bass at ankle shattering speeds. Nowadays, music isn’t all about playing the fastest or loudest, simple rock and roll will always conquer - ‘Just Like A Woman’ and ‘Medusa’s Eyes’ are perfect examples of this; you can’t help but tap your feet, drum along on your knees, or whatever surface is close by, and swing your head in time to the beats, stupidly catchy. ‘Easy Peasy’ has a great little riff laden intro and some stunning female guest vocals before ‘Blood Of The Kings’ rolls in to punch you in the face with its all out groove. If you like a rock song with some feeling, ‘St. Peter’ is for you - Pete’s vocal work on this track is outstanding, especially when it all comes to a halt and his voice echoes across like he’s tearing his heart out with every repetition. ‘Man’s Ruin’ displays some of those southern tainted riffs that Black Spiders achieve so well, whilst ‘Si, El Diablo’s’ somewhat odd introduction leads into a killer track which is just oh so easy to sing along to. Album closer ‘What Good’s A Rock Without Roll?’ contains one of the best lines ever created for a crowd to scream back - “Eat Thunder, Shit Lightning”. I mean, come on, how good! - and is certainly a change from the norm of Black Spiders. It veers in so many musical directions it’s unbelievable, a style comparable with a Wildhearts B-Side release, spinning off wildly into fantastic little melodies and tangents. So to round it off, what are the standout tracks? Short of naming every single song, it’s a struggle - but I’d have to say: ‘KISS Tried To Kill Me’, ‘St. Peter’ (for that fantastic vocal work) and, of course, ‘What Good’s A Rock Without Roll?’. In terms of musicianship and quality of lyrics, Black Spiders are a hard band to beat. The balance between all out manic riffs which meander into an abstract realm of musical tangents, with lyrics that just drag you headfirst into a tiny world all contained within a song, until it thunders back to good old fashioned heavy rock and roll, is just superb. This may well be my album of 2011, and we’re only a month in. Black Spiders - I salute you for creating this masterpiece. Ten out of ten, but if only I could rate it higher.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Dark Riders

Album

SONS OF THE NORTH

Review by Siobhan Hogarty

RUNNING TIME:

43:41

RELEASE DATE:

7th February 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Stay Down
2) KISS Tried To Kill Me
3) Just Like A Woman
4) Easy Peasy
5) Blood Of The Kings
6) St. Peter
7) Man’s Ruin
8) Medusa’s Eyes
9) Si, El Diablo
10) What Good’s A Rock Without Roll?

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"The balance between all out manic riffs which meander into an abstract realm of musical tangents, with lyrics that just drag you headfirst into a tiny world all contained within a song, until it thunders back to good old fashioned heavy rock and roll, is just superb."