RIVAL SONS — Hollow Bones (review)

RIVAL SONS — Hollow Bones album cover Album · 2016 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Nightfly
Rival Sons return with their fifth album Hollow Bones after a mere 2 years, quite fast by today’s standards as long gone are the days (70’s) when you could rely on a band releasing a new album every year. I’d read somewhere that the band were diversifying their sound for this one but to be honest whilst it’s a very good album it seems pretty much business as usual.

Anyone familiar with Rival Sons will know what to expect – retro bluesy hard rock, immediately recognisable by Jay Buchanan’s soulful vocals very much in the tradition of the great seventies vocalists like Robert Plant and Steve Marriott. Apparently they allowed themselves only 30 days to write and record the album but it doesn’t show as it’s very mature sounding and song quality doesn’t suffer. Mike Miley is a drummer very much in the John Bonham tradition playing with the requisite power and groove but having the subtlety for the light and shade parts when needed. Over the last few albums the Zeppelin influences have become less apparent though still appearing at times. They cover Humble Pie’s Black Coffee, impressive enough but to be honest their own songs are better as it waffles about a bit. One of the best songs is the almost seven minute Hollow Bones Pt 2, a song full of dynamics and tension with some fine playing from guitarist Scott Holiday His tone is less fuzzy for the most part than the last couple of albums and better for it though he hasn’t abandoned it completely on Hollow Bones Pt 1. The albums first half features the shorter more immediate songs, though not necessarily the best, though hooks like Baby Boy are pretty insistent and hard to get out of your head.

None of Rival Sons albums since Pressure and Time have quite matched it for power, groove and swagger despite showing some maturity in the song writing department. Nevertheless, it’s another impressive release that can sit head and shoulders alongside the rest of their back catalogue.
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