ALBUM REVIEW: Black Spiders – Black Spiders

During the first half of the last decade, Sheffield rockers BLACK SPIDERS were on the cusp of breaking out as one of the country’s premier new bands. After headlining the Jagermeister Stage at Sonisphere 2011, their own tours saw increases in venue size up and down the UK and it seemed only a matter of time before they would make the leap from clubs to academies; alas, it wasn’t to be.

In 2017 the band played their final shows at the Corporation in their hometown before seemingly calling it quits for good, with fans bemoaning the loss of another great band. Then, at the back end of last year, their social media channels kicked into gear once more and BLACK SPIDERS announced their return, complete with new drummer Wyatt Wendells and a brand-new, self-titled album that is released this Friday via Dark Rider Records.

Although not their first material to be released since their comeback – EP Deaf Proof dropped in the middle of last month – this album represents BLACK SPIDERS‘ first full-length record for eight years and, as such, the stakes are much higher. One of the biggest questions to be answered is whether they’re still the same band that delighted audiences with their triple guitar offense, stupidly catchy choruses and ability to produce both high-octane and stoner-tinged rock songs; thankfully, they very much are.

Back in the Convent falls very much into the former, a straight up driving song with a hefty stomp and conjuring up images of flooring an open-topped sports car along a deserted highway somewhere in America; the same holds true for Good Times, which combines STATUS QUO with AIRBOURNE for a song that is equal parts raucous and infectious.

When it comes to the slower material, there’s no dip in quality either. Wizard Shall Not Kill Wizard is, unsurprisingly given the title, underpinned with a steady, BLACK SABBATH-inspired riff that is perfect for headbanging and Down To The River harks back to the song Saint Peter from the band’s 2011 debut Sons of the North with it’s mournful slide guitar and powerful vocals from frontman Pete Spiby. The band have even thrown a couple of extra elements into their sound – opening track Fly In The Soup, whilst continuing to mix the likes of AC/DC and CLUTCH, has tinges of Britrock throwing in for good measure, particularly in the chorus, whilst Give ‘Em What They Want ventures into more radio-rock friendly territory, although doesn’t stray so far from the BLACK SPIDERS formula to be an anomaly on the album as a whole.

There’s even a final curveball with closing track Crooked Black Wings – what starts off as a hard-hitting song with the BLACK SPIDERS blueprint stamped all over it morphs after the guitar solo into a country-esque ballad, led by acoustic guitar and egg shakers. Unlike the other ventures away from their standard, this is very much unlike what those who have known BLACK SPIDERS for years are used to, but it’s a move that pays off and, in turn, confirms that this is a band who have matured in their time away; the energy remains, and chants of ‘Fuck you, BLACK SPIDERS!’ will continue to reign supreme at live shows, but they’re developing beyond the tried-and-tested and that’s a very exciting prospect.

Just twelve months ago, the prospect of BLACK SPIDERS ever returning was in the realms of fantasy; within the last six, we’ve seen them not only do that but bring an armful of new songs with them. They haven’t done this for a cash injection either; as an album, Black Spiders swings for the fences with every track and hits a home run on plenty of them. Hello again boys, so glad to have you with us once more.

Rating: 8/10

Black Spiders is set for release on March 26th via Dark Riders Records. 

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