UMUR
"Wolfmother" is the self-titled debut full-length studio album by Australian hard rock act Wolfmother. The album was released through Australian label Modular Records in October 2005. Australia has a proud hard rock tradition spearheaded by AC/DC and this album sees Wolfmother delivering music according to that tradition with balls and fierce conviction.
...and what better way to start a hard rock album than with an attitude filled scream like Wolfmother do on "Colossal". Lead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale has to be mentioned right off the bat, as he is quite the skilled and at times also raw vocalist. His voice and vocal delivey mean a lot for the music on the album. Wolfmother are a trio which in addition to Andrew Stockdale also feature Chris Ross (bass, keyboards) and Miles Heskett (drums). This is one of those cases where the "power-trio" format works wonders. Wolfmother are a tight playing unit but also skilled composers. They know exactly how to write a memorable and punchy chorus, hard rocking riffs and pounding beats. But they also understand that you won´t go far if you don´t write varied material, which is probably one of their biggests strengths. The way they touch psychadelic and stoner rock territories without compromising hard rocking power is brilliant to these ears. Paired with a powerful and not too polished sound production all mentioned elements make for a highly enjoyable listening experience.
While the main instrumentation are guitars, bass and drums, the occasional use of keyboards/organs provide an extra dimension to the album and much of the above mentioned psychadelia comes from the addition of especially organ.
Usually I listen to an album and either think that "this is not something for me" or "I´ll give this one more spins because it sounds interesting", but with "Wolfmother" I was hit with one of those rare moments where you like an album right away. A high energy level, a rock´n´roll "Fuck You" attitude and some really well written and memorable tracks result in a fully deserved 4 star (80%) rating.