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Elly Roberts reviews
Jagjaguwar Records
- January 2008
- Rating: 4/10
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Like your music classic rock style? Its for you.
When Led Zeppelin reached album number two, they already had a great album ontheir hands. Its not happened for Black Mountain. Inevitably with a loud/quietphilosophy, comparisons with Zep and Deep Purple are obvious.
When needed, Black Mountain can pack a real punch. If not they can do quietersoft rock too. Power riffs are a speciality with these four guys and a gal fromVancouver. There arent (thankfully) the obligatory or gratuitous undisciplined solos either.
Things seem well in order here on their second full studio album. Giving a strongnod to 70s classic rock, Led Zep, Deep Purple et al, with a touch of psychedelia,Black Mountain are more than a band constantly compared to the likes of BlackSabbath. Okay, they can thrust a monster riff, but theyre far more sophisticatedthan Ozzies former outfit.
In The Future is far from a classic, and for a second album (and this maybe the long-suffering problem of the dreaded Number 2), its short on the wowfactor, nevertheless its quite promising. They blast off with a Purple-esqueriff, Lord-like keys and wailing vocals courtesy of Amber Webber, with guitaristand singer Stephen McBean matching Ritchie Blackmore any day on the stratosphericsolos.
BM come into their own with the ominous sounding Tyrants, though it does rambleat the mid-point, but are soon back in the groove with some scintillating solosprefixing the mellow outro. A steady beat and dirty solo carries Wucan. It waftsby with little direction, whereas Stay Free (featured on Spider-Man 3)has more an alt-country flavour a la Devendra Banhart, dripping in honeyedvocals and harmonies.
Queens Will Play is a disappointment because to takes to long to reacha peak around the 5 minute mark, and not helped by Ambers warbling. Evil Ways(not to be confused with Santanas Evil Ways) is a cocksure audioassault, not too dissimilar to a Deep Purple groove, though Bright Lightsis nothing more than a shambolic and laboured rocker. A Bjork-like delivery byAmber ghosts the album to a close.
Lyrically they scale issues such as God, the Devil and extremes, almost the normalfodder for RocknRoll then.
White Stripes Jack White made rock cool again, Black Mountain are treading anold path.
File under: Interesting 21st century take on Prog-Rock, nothing more.
Weblink:blackmountainarmy.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Stormy High
2. Angels
3. Tyrants
4. Wucan
5. Stay Free
6. Queens Will Play
7. Evil Ways
8. Wild Wind
9. Bright Lights
10. Night Walks
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.