BLACKWOLF
Bristol based BlackWolf are a new (formed in January 2012) classic rock & blues based band along the lines of Led Zep, Kingdom Come, Black Stone Cherry, The Answer and Rival Sons etc. Since their inception they have apparently been receiving a huge amount of positive press. They have already supported The Union, Jettblack and Voodoo Six amongst others and released a debut EP 'Taking Root' in 2012. In April this year the band launched a Pledge Campaign for their debut album and reached 100% of their target within two weeks and that's pretty good going! Mr. Maker is the first completed track and BlackWolf have decided to release it as a single.
Having not heard BlackWolf before, and also the fact that reviewing just one track is a little weird, I took the liberty of listening to the EP as well so I could try and understand the band a little better. Doing that has told me that BlackWolf (great name) are pretty good. They very definitely have the groove, swagger and soul that a band of this nature requires and it's all done with a positive amount of energy. Even though the EP sounds good, it has also told me that the production on ‘Mr. Maker’ is a big step up in quality, boding well for the album as a whole.
Song-wise though, ‘Mr. Maker’ comes across as a track of two halves. It's got a cracking riff which had me shaking my head within ten seconds and everything sounds great up until the first bit of the guitar solo. That, however, sounds wrong and it doesn't matter how many times I listen to the track, my ears don't like it. When the second half of the solo kicks in properly the quality is resumed though. Vocalist Scott Sharp, who has quite a high register anyway, then decides to hit some very high notes for the end of the song, and I wish he hadn't. It's in tune but just sounds forced and shrill. Don't get me wrong, this is good stuff and I'm certainly looking forward to the album (due January 2014); it's just that with so many bands around producing top quality material at the moment, I hope it's not something that permeates through the rest of the songs.
Having not heard BlackWolf before, and also the fact that reviewing just one track is a little weird, I took the liberty of listening to the EP as well so I could try and understand the band a little better. Doing that has told me that BlackWolf (great name) are pretty good. They very definitely have the groove, swagger and soul that a band of this nature requires and it's all done with a positive amount of energy. Even though the EP sounds good, it has also told me that the production on ‘Mr. Maker’ is a big step up in quality, boding well for the album as a whole.
Song-wise though, ‘Mr. Maker’ comes across as a track of two halves. It's got a cracking riff which had me shaking my head within ten seconds and everything sounds great up until the first bit of the guitar solo. That, however, sounds wrong and it doesn't matter how many times I listen to the track, my ears don't like it. When the second half of the solo kicks in properly the quality is resumed though. Vocalist Scott Sharp, who has quite a high register anyway, then decides to hit some very high notes for the end of the song, and I wish he hadn't. It's in tune but just sounds forced and shrill. Don't get me wrong, this is good stuff and I'm certainly looking forward to the album (due January 2014); it's just that with so many bands around producing top quality material at the moment, I hope it's not something that permeates through the rest of the songs.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Self-released
Single
MR MAKER
Review by Rick Tilley
RUNNING TIME:
4:00
RELEASE DATE:
30th Sept 2013
TRACK LISTING
1) Mr Maker
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"They very definitely have the groove, swagger and soul that a band of this nature requires..."
