Hound: I Know My Enemies

Germany's Hound are a four piece hard rock band that deliver a youthful, funky, and ever so slightly proggy (in a note dense, eclectic sense) sound with their new album I Know My Enemies. It's an album that comes across as a modernized take on the Deep Purple Mk. III years with some varying influences thrown in here and there. There's punchy upfront bass, wailing and warbling vocals with plenty of harmonies, and even some organ solos from time to time; all linchpins of the Coverdale/Hughes Purple era, but with some surprises as well.

One of these surprises is the song "All of Us", which sounds like funky, retro Motorhead meets early Van Halen. Only not as good as that description would suggest. Sadly, the songs on here are all fairly busy and bounce from one idea to the next without giving much of anything a chance to develop. The vocals are also not my cup of tea, with a lot of bizarre Robert Plant imitations and falsetto wails that sound very much in the same vein as current try-hard starlets Greta Van Fleet. Music in this style like this demands vocal performances that ooze style and soul, and it's safe to say I don't hear much of it here.

There's highlights here, though. "I Smell Blood" has some nifty keyboard work and "Primetime" has hair metal riffs-a-plenty that would evoke a nod from many a sunset strip veteran, but these moments aren't frequent enough to warrant a must-listen from me. It's certainly eclectic, busy, and full of youthful piss and vinegar, but until the boys in Hound rein it in a bit (with a focus on the vocals) I'll be sitting this one out.

Tracklist:
1. Sleep in Thunder
2. Head Under Water
3. All of Us
4. Fortune
5. Loyalty
6. I Smell Blood
7. Primetime
8. Without a Sound
9. Upside Down
10. The Abyss
11. The Downfall

Added: April 14th 2021
Reviewer: Brandon Miles
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 728
Language: english

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