Wolfmother

Wolfmother | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 2, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B000EJ9MTW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (261 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,546 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The notion that rock must perpetually break new ground and reinvent itself is the odious legacy of 10 too many years of rock-crit navel gazing, and one that young Australian power trio Wolfmother stands gleefully on its head with their effusive debut. Hardly surprising to find a new generation's reaction to a decade of shoe-gazing alternative rock angst to be a return to the guilty pleasures of unabashed, blues-based stadium rock--even if they seem unsure whether they're channeling the early Zep scream 'n' sludge frenzy of the single "Woman" or adopting The White Stripes' stripped-down ethos on "Apple Tree" and elsewhere. They bravely mix suspect '70s lyrical thematics ("White Unicorn," "Where Eagles Have Been," "Tales") with usual suspects like Sabbath ("Dimension"), stir in the neo-prog of "Colossal," "Witchcraft," and "Tales," (the latter complete with Tull-savvy flute break), then toast Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age on "Mind's Eye" and elsewhere. Their frightfully funk-challenged "Love Train" gets promptly derailed, making one yearn for a hit of Eagles of Death Metal for relief, but its wreckage only proves how far Wolfmother is willing to push the envelope in forging their often intoxicating evocation of the past as future. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

With their debut record, white-hot hard rock trio Wolfmother are ready to unleash the full scope of their aggressive, melodic songwriting and vintage classic rock sound. As the praise from critics and fans alike keeps rolling in, the boys of Wolfmother are set to conquer audiences across the US with their self-titled debut release.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Proof that they really do still make 'em like they used to January 10, 2007

By Tim Brough TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Have you been starving for some old-fashioned rock like the sort that hogged FM radio in the early to mid-seventies? Do your eyes brim with tears when you pull out a dusty plastic 12-inch black slab of "Machine Head" or "Demons and Wizards?" Do you still sit around and pine for a Black Sabbath reunion? Lo, my brethren. Salvation has arrived and they call themselves Wolfmother.

This debut CD sounds like it dropped from a time machine. "Wolfmother" is chock full of rocking seventies organ slamming minor chords atop big threatening sounding guitars as a singer wails above it like he has a cassette of Led Zeppelin wedged in his larynx. Does "Dimension" echo Black Sabbath? Heck, yeah. How about a little Deep Purple buried in "Joker and The Thief?" Oh, Baby. Zep lightning striking through "Woman?" I gotta whole lotta love for you, brother. And just to prove they aren't completely retro, "Apple Tree" sounds like it came from the White Stripes' bag of leftovers.

Easily the best hard rock debut album to come out so far this century, Wolfmother proves you don't have to be original to be great. I am hoping that they can keep evolving as a band; the last thing we need is the second coming of Kingdom Come. But for now, "Wolfmother" has a secure slot in my CD machine.

56 of 66 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rocks (and rolls)!!! May 2, 2006

By William Merrill TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

This is some marvelous heaviosity in the vein of classic rock giants Led Zep, Sabbath, and Deep Purple. It's refreshing to hear NEW music that rekindles the spirit of those guys. There are thick, thundering guitar riffs and massive bass lines (listen to "Pyramid," for instance), plus the high, Plant-esque wail of singer Andrew Stockdale. I like just about everything on this album, especially the bluesy "Witchcraft" and the swell stroke of "Colossal," a song where everything comes together just right. Only one tune put me off a bit - "Apple Tree," with its White Stripe-ish shenanigans. Overall, though, this is one of the best CDs I've heard all year - one Mother of an album! (And at a great intro price too.)

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what rock was meant to be! February 15, 2006

By B. T. Denyer

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is an indisputable fact that real rock has gone by the wayside. Often we hear of a band that has brought it back, only to find out they missed the mark by a long shot.

WOLFMOTHER has hit that mark and obliterated it! The crunchy chords; the distortion; the somewhat muffled drums; the vocals out front: it has the ingredients that made their predecessors huge. If you're into that 60's and 70's hard rock sound that was coined by bands like Jo Jo Gunne, Spirit, Spooky Tooth, Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath (with Ozzy), and Pink Floyd, then you will love this album!

"Wolfmother" is the closest thing we have to that feeling our parents got when they first put Led Zeppelin's IV or The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers on the record player. They were blown away, just as you will be when you get to Wolfmother's "White Unicorn" or "Woman". Powerful, rockin' songs that MUST be played loud!

"Apple Tree" has a bit (just a bit!) of rockabilly/50's pop hiding beneath those power chords -- ingenious!

The song called "Joker and The Thief" is the only place that I can hear The White Stripes connection that some are making. If you like The White Stripes it shouldn't be a stretch to enjoy these guys as well; all without feeling like you're cheating on The White Stripes.

"Witchcraft" has that Jethro Tull sound that has made its way into so many bands' influences. Somehow they manage to once again show their influences without making you go, "Oh that's so Jethro Tull." Okay, maybe some can.

If you are new to Wolfmother, then this album should be the first one you buy. It has most of the songs that are on the singles, and much cooler artwork.

And for crying out loud, go see them live! They are coming to America (from Australia) in 2006!

40 of 50 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Into another Dimension! May 10, 2006

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

New Aussie band Wolfmother are on the rise right now, with their retro hard-rock blend that is equal parts Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Maybe a bit of Deep Purple thrown in for good measure. With influences like that, this band has a lot to live up to.

But in their self-titled debut album, Wolfmother proves that they are more than the sum of their influences. Their hard rock is murky, raw, and energetic, the sort of thing you can dance or mosh to, and their slower songs are still sharp and wild around the edges. This is definitely one for the fans of good rock'n'roll.

It opens with an earsplitting yell, and if you're not expecting it, it's sure to make you sit up and listen. It's followed by a crunchy, murky mass of hard rock with an otherworldly edge. After getting lost in the desert, "I had to write something down/And I found myself alone, and then I let go of everything/Into another DI-MEN-SION!" frontman Andrew Stockdale hollers.

Things steady out in the songs that follow, with Wolfmother exploring different kinds of hard rock. Yes, every kind I can think of. They dip into everything from steady bass grinds to hard psychedelica to catchy fuzz. And as they explore different sounds and styles, they manage to keep the same rough, wild edge in every song.

Wolfmother even dabble in quieter music in "Mind's Eye," a panoramic rock number with stretches of quiet, almost pretty music, and the closer almost sounds like a folk song at times. This band is in great form in these songs, which show the complexity of their music, but it sounds like the musicians are barely restraining themselves.

There's something almost larger-than-life about Wolfmother's sound, with their wild lyrics and wilder musical skills.... That quality is the sign of a really good rock band. They have energy, they have skill, and while their skill leans on that whole Zeppelin/Sabbath sound, they sound fresh.

They also sound loud. These guys sound like they're testing the waters at times, which is the one drawback of "Wolfmother." But even in their weaker moments, they show that they have musical expertise in murky bass, sizzling guitar, and some wicked percussion.

Stockdale's voice is one that takes getting used to. At first he sounds thin and a bit nasal, and his vocalizing is kind of melodramatic. But as the album goes on, his voice will start to grow on you. He can really belt out those songs ("WITCH... CRAAAFT!"), but he can also sing in a more restrained manner. "If you listen to the sound within your mind/you may find the answer glowing in the tide..."

In their rough, raw debut albun, Wolfmother demonstrates that it deserves all the attention it's getting in the rock press. It's "colossal!" Read more ›