Black Dog Moon Drop A Full Album
The latest full-album release from Black Dog Moon combines a slew of approaches all in one record. The album reaches into everything from classic rock to Southern soul rock and roll, punk, theatrically driven and almost Gothically themed approaches, and so much more, and the whole thing breeds this big atmosphere where you don't really know what's going to come next by the time you get halfway through the record.
This is one of those albums that boasts loads of surprises. You begin to expect the unexpected, and that keeps you on your toes, which is something super refreshing.
The album is called Hell and Back, and the whole thing starts with a track called "The Prophecy", which gives off such a soulful approach and in the form of this rock approach that feels like it's a blend of that vintage classic rock style and aesthetic, with an almost 1970s songwriting approach.
One of my favorite aspects of the whole record is that every once in a while, you get a song that really does give you this vintage tonality. The guitars can be drenched in reverb effect; the whole thing just feels old school, and they really nail that soundscape when they want to.
As I mentioned earlier, part of the fun of this record is that it keeps you on your toes, and the very next song, "Neon Queen", portrays much more of a thrashier, punk style. The guitars are crunchier, and the whole thing comes through more hard-hitting and heavy.
The vocals are always super robust. They're bountiful and have a thickness to them that feels almost operatic at times.
This is part of why I say that the record can come off theatrical.
The whole thing is like watching a play. It even made me think of a rock opera.
I love this approach because they're showcasing a lot of their different influences. No two songs are alike, but they never stray too far, so it's very consistent.
The third track, "The Ghostly Scots Pine Tree", is probably one of the more theatrical tracks of all of them.
There are all kinds of drifting and floating guitar parts that float through the ether of the track, giving it this depth and distance feeling, which adds layers to the song and lets you fall deeper into it.
Those sections give you gorgeous melodies that almost come through sounding haunting.
This track makes me think of bands like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
This is where some of the more Gothic or dark kinds of folk-rock tracks come in.
Then you have these bright, pop-riddled power rock songs like "1985", which sounds like it came out in 1985.
This is like a surf-rock track in a way. It's got that colorful approach, loads of drive, the drums are slamming, but they're fun, everyone is pushing off of that energy and delivering this fusion of synergism that gives the entire song a vibe.
It's an infectious vibe, too.
"Heavy Shot of Love" is a classic hard rock banger that comes right in with ripping guitars, great lead sections, a harder edge, and a fists-in-the-air powerhouse kind of approach.
I definitely dig stuff like this, too, because they also pull it off perfectly.
Even with all these different styles, again, the whole thing is confluent. It all fits together like puzzle pieces and works perfectly.
It all seems to feel like it comes from the Same album.
Tracks like 'Gratitude" feel like a KISS track that we somehow missed.
So, you're getting this slew of rock-oriented influences and approaches that all are like love letters to the genre itself and the bands that made all of this happen in the first place.
You can feel that kind of welcoming element to the record.
These guys have a love for the genre and a love for their craft.
They also have plenty of character in the tracks and can write lyrics that genuinely feel like classic rock lyrics a lot of the time.
They're not afraid to let loose, have fun, rock hard, and give you songs that make you think, or paint visuals in your head as they unfold.
This is one of those records that gives you a lot. It's 11 Tracks and spans about 50 minutes in length, so there's plenty to drink in.
The vocals and guitar work are hand in hand throughout this whole album. Everything feeds off of each other. The vocals feed off those guitars and vice versa. The drums give the whole band something to really push off of and boast a relentless energy when they want to, or give that theatrical and more subtle approach as well.
This was a massive release and something that you should definitely check out, especially if you love any kind of rock whatsoever.
As I said, they cover so much ground here that you'll come out of it having to reacclimate yourself back to whatever you were doing.
So, check this out now and don't be afraid to really dive into this one.
