What would you do if you could successfully combine vintage Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Humble Pie, Free, and The Rolling Stones? Probably jump for joy and celebrate the creation of the worlds greatest hard rock band right? Well, no need to go to all that trouble, as rising US act Rival Sons have seemingly done just that on their latest Earache Records release Head Down. Though these Californians were no doubt either still in diapers or perhaps not even born yet during the heyday of all the acts mentioned above, they've captured the grit, swagger, and attitude of those legends as if they've transported themselves from a 1975 time capsule. To put it mildly, this is a breathtaking record, chock full of meaty guitar riffs & solos, powerful vocals, and instantly memorable, hard rockin' tunes.
Lead vocalist Jay Buchanan is quite simply a marvelous singer, the perfect combination of Plant, Rodgers, and Marriott, exuding his commanding pipes all over catchy heavy rock tracks "Keep on Swinging", "Wild Animal", and the grinding, sweaty blues rocker "Run From Revelation". This guy has 'mega-star' written all over him folks. The band go for a late '60s Stones vibe on the vibrant "Until the Sun Comes", and sound like Paul Rodgers fronting Grand Funk Railroad on the groove laden "All the Way". Images of Led Zeppelin crop up on the rousing "Three Fingers", while the folky "Jordan" and "Nava" showcase some deft acoustic picking from guitarist Scott Holiday. The two part "Manifest Destiny" reaches thunderous heavy rock proportions, a meeting of Zep's "When the Levee Breaks" and Humble Pie's "I Don't Need No Doctor", complete with savage riffing and blistering Robin Trower inspired solos from Holiday. Chilling stuff.
Head Down is one of those CDs that just keeps getting better each and every time you spin it, and if you are a '70s lover like me you'll be amazed at just how well these youngsters have honed in on an era and created songs that are fresh, invigorating, memorable, and most importantly quite rocking. If Rival Sons aren't complete superstars in the very near future there is something definitely wrong with the world.
Track Listing
1) Keep on Swinging
2) Wild Animal
3) You Want To
4) Until the Sun Comes
5) Run From Revelation
6) Jordan
7) All the Way
8) THe Heist
9) Three Fingers
10) Nava
11) Manifest Destiny Pt. 1
12) Manifest Destiny Pt. 2
13) True
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