Wolfmother – ‘Victorious’ [Review]
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With Lemmy and Bowie having graduated to the great Hall Of Fame in the sky and poppy rubbish dominating the airwaves, rock ‘n’ roll needs all the fresh blood it can get in order to keep on fighting the good fight.
Back in 2005, Wolfmother emerged as major vital force donors, their eponymous debut dropping bomblike into the mainstream’s staling consciousness. Since then, Andrew Stockdale & co’s journey has been a turbulent one, to say the least. With lineup changes galore and a brief detour into Stockdale solo territory behind Wolfmother Version 2016, this album’s title makes perfect sense.
Victorious is not a long-player set on shattering boundaries and delivering something mind-mangling that you’ve never heard before in your life. But that’s no crime. Anyone who’s ever given a cursory listen to a classic rock hits playlist will know what to expect here – but still, the bloody-minded passion, energy, and honesty on display throughout Victorious is worth the price of admission.
With legendary superproducer Brendan O’Brien (think Soundgarden, Springsteen, and AC/DC) on board, it’s no surprise that Victorious sounds festival-main-stage-enthrallingly massive. Songwriting-wise, the quality is top notch, even if zero creative risks are taken. From note one of opener The Love That You Give through Victorious’ hard-grooving title track, Baroness’s lovelorn class-divided yearnings, and Gypsy Caravan’s old-school steamroller riffs, it’s as evident as it could possibly be that Andrew Stockdale is a master of his craft.
Victorious really wins on the back of its attitude. It’s an album die-hard rock fans will respect instantly – and keeping the flame burning is important in the age of auto-tune and plastic puppetry. Wolfmother are absolutely the band to remind the mainstream that edginess is still an option.
The day that spot is left vacant is the day it’s all over.
Overall, for the uninitiated, Victorious is the perfect introduction to the wild and rewarding world of alternative music, a great gateway album that points the way to stranger lands. But for those who’ve already been immersed in that world for years and decades, it’ll either be the latest in a long line of familiar-but-different favourites, or a briefly interesting romp through the same old same old.
TMMP RATING: 80%
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