From California comes Rival Sons, and Pressure & Time is their second release following last years debut Before the Fire. Interesting to see this band signed to metal heavyweights Earache Records, as Rival Sons are anything but metal, but make no mistake about it, these youngsters are going places. Taking their cue from classic 70's acts such as Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Small Faces, Grand Funk Railroad, Who, Free, and Bad Company, Rival Sons have put together a 31 minute record here that hits on all the retro vibes and remains one of those new releases here in 2011 that you just want to hit the replay button on over and over again.
While other 'retro' acts such as Wolfmother tend to venture over into Black Sabbath territory, Rival Sons go for more of the hard rock element from that time period and stay away from the doomy riffage, opting more for the hard rock riffs and bluesy grooves. Lead vocalist Jay Buchanan has that 'Robert Plant/Steve Marriott/Paul Rodgers' thing down pat, and is a surefire star in the making, adding his powerful delivery to classic tracks like "Only One", the hard rocking "All Over the Road", and the Zep influenced title track. Guitarist Scott Holiday has obviously studied his Jimmy Page & Mark Farner licks, as there are plenty of meaty blues and 'splatter' hard rock leads littered all over this CD, especially on "Get Mine", "Save Me", "Gypsy Heart" , and the metallic "White Noise", which is like a head on collision of Led Zep's first album and Grand Funk's self titled sophomore release, complete with fuzz laden guitar riffs, booming bass, and pounding drum work.
Pressure & Time would have probably rated highter had it had a few more songs on it (come on guys, 30 minutes?), but this is as good a 4 star album as you can get, and there's no doubt in my mind that Rival Sons are going to be huge stars. Believe the hype, this band is the real deal.
Track Listing
1. All Over The Road 2:54
2. Young Love 3:00
3. Pressure And Time 3:19
4. Only One 3:14
5. Get Mine 2:23
6. Burn Down Los Angeles 2:28
7. Save Me 2:32
8. Gypsy Heart 3:29
9. White Noise 3:04
10. Face Of Light 4:28
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