Don't be fooled by the opening jazzy instrumental "Into Who I Am", as Sonic Child, the third release from German retro hard rock/blues act Zodiac, continues on the strong tradition developed on their first two solid '70s styled platters. Filled with hard hitting, bluesy, and at times funky riffs, rock solid rhythms, memorable hooks, and the powerful vocals of Nick van Delft, Sonic Child is a pretty safe bet for anyone who wants vintage sounds with a modern sheen.
Plenty of meaty hard rock tunes with a blues edge to be found here, such as "Out of the City", "Swinging on the Run", and the title track, each one complete with tasty guitar licks from van Delft & Stephan Gall, but even the slower blues tracks, like "Sad Song" or the smoldering "A Penny And A Dead Horse" really hit the mark, the latter containing some ripping slide guitar work, haunting organ, and intricate rhythms. "Good Times" is a perfect example of those funky riffs coming into play, as this uptempo track features grooves galore and some really tasty guitar licks. In a perfect world this song should be blasting through speakers & headphones across the globe. Screaming guitar solos permeate the ZZ Top influenced "Rock Bottom Blues", a blistering slow blues number, and their cover of BTO's "Not Fragile" is a hell of a lot of fun, as they capture the heavy nature of this classic from the Canadian powerhouse legends perfectly, even throwing in some smokey organ to add a new dimension to the song. Zodiac really pick some cool covers for their albums, and have delivered on all of them. For pure hard rocking fury, check out the vibrant closer "Shine", a really great tune with some effective riffing and strong vocals from van Delft.
With all of the excellent young bands out on the scene now doing the whole '70s hard rock thing (Rival Sons, Graveyard, Witchcraft, Scorpion Child, Horisont, Orchid, Blues Pills, Vintage Caravan, The Graviators, Black Stone Cherry, just to name a few), it can be challenging to keep track of them all, not to mention making sure you don't miss the cream of the crop. Zodiac are easily in the upper echelon of this retro movement, and this latest release from them is proof of just why they deserve your attention.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
- Intro Who I Am
- Swinging On The Run
- Sonic Child
- Holding On
- Sad Song
- Out Of The City
- A Penny And A Dead Horse
- Good Times
- Rock Bottom Blues
- Just Music
- Not Fragile
- Shine
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