Written by: Rob Latham
Following a series of ‘creative disputes’ between its original members Aussie rockers Wolfmother are back with a second album and a brand new look, with only frontman Andrew Stockdale remaining.
Their second offering Cosmic Egg essentially sounds pretty much the same as their huge 2005 self-titled debut as Stockdale’s trademark vocals and addictive, blockbusting guitar licks are what makes the sound of the band. Except the only difference is it seems Stockdale has has Led Zeppelin stuck on his iPod for the last four years.
In reality all this album sounds like is Stockdale attempting to hatch himself a Jimmy Plant-esque aura on the modern rock’n'roll scene, typically kicking off with the acceptably rocky “California Queen,” which features huge overtones of Led Zep and Black Sabbath inspirations.
Overall this is a decent follow-up album considering the huge rigmarole that surrounded their debut and the changes that the band has seen, with the departure of the two original band members and the introduction of not one, not two but three additions with second guitarist Aiden Nemeth, bassist Ian Peres and Dave Atkins on drums.
The band’s sound essentially picks up where it left off and, while not exactly being the most original thing you’ll ever hear, it is anything but boring as they explore a never-ending arsenal of special effects, with the trademark guitar sounds driving the music forwards.
The high point of Cosmic Egg is left for last in the final track “Violence of the Sun,” with its gentle climax from a lulled, rolling piano introduction launching into a rare piece of creativity with a huge smack of in-your-face guitars and smashing drums leaving a positive feel to the end of the album. It’s just a shame about everything else that preceded it.
This album is probably a perfect offering for teenagers who are too naive to recognize Wolfmother is the musical epitome of the T-shirts that say ‘been there, done that.’ Their style simply is not original and tries to hard to echo the rock gods of the 1970s that have inspired Stockdale’s undoubted musical talents.
However, if you do like what you hear you can check out Wolfmother playing live in Vancouver at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday (November 21). Check out their MySpace page for more details.
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