ALBUM REVIEW: Thieves And Liars – Blackwülf
The San Fransisco Bay Area is famous for many things; the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the Oakland Raiders (sadly now in Las Vegas) and of course thrash metal. Emerging from this illustrious corner of California are connoisseurs of the mighty stoner riff BLACKWÜLF. Having enthralled fans from Los Angeles to London with their heavy, raw power, the band know how to put together cohesive, hard-hitting songs that will have you moving your body and fist pumping around your bedroom in a matter of seconds. Born out of the slow disintegration of the world, Thieves And Liars is a dark and brooding album that encapsulates apocalyptic visions with a heavy dose of rock swagger.
With a strong focus on writing songs rather than a series of sounds, there is a down to earth authenticity about BLACKWÜLF that you can really buy into. Utilising the tones and textures of vintage heavy rock, there is a brilliant old school grit that is deeply embedded into their music. With this in mind, Thieves And Liars is one of those albums that resonates with your visceral, primal side. The band have been exploring their vintage metal influences since 2018’s Sinister Sides, where there was a noticeable shift for more groove-orientated riffing instead of stoner fuzz overload. Thieves And Liars certainly explores this vintage side of their sound further and holds nothing back, offering up a plethora of bluesy riffs and SABBATH-esque doom.
Inspired by the slow disintegration of the world that we currently know, there is an underlying darkness on Thieves And Liars that hits a little differently to its predecessor. With the darker influences at play, there is a real presence to this album, like a looming, unnamed shadowy apparition. A bit like the mysterious woman on BLACK SABBATH‘s self-titled album, you don’t know what or who it is, you just know that they’re there.
Even though the album does hark back to that vintage metal of the 1970s and early 1980s, it doesn’t do it through rose-tinted nostalgic glasses which is really refreshing. BLACKWÜLF use their influences but they do so to augment their own authenticity, creating an album that feels firmly rooted in the present moment and not rehashing a steady stream of tropes and stereotypical musical devices from the time. Something that also shines through is the band’s confidence and passion; their performance throughout the album is tight and cohesive, alongside a fervent faith in the songs. The audible fire in BLACKWÜLF’s belly levels up your enjoyment of the album, and alongside the varying dynamics between steady galloping riffs and chunky doom it keeps you on your toes. This is demonstrated best on Psychonaut – Edge Of Light, where the band dip into the psych world and use an acoustic guitar to give a delicate layer of emotion to the song. Its illustrious layers and melodies are the centrepiece of the album.
Thieves And Liars kicks off with Shadow, busting out a big SABBATH style riff in the introduction before galloping into life and giving us our first taste of the anthemic nature of the album. Seems To Me continues this formula but with a more doomy focus. The slow and steady grooves sucks you in with ease while Alex Cunningham’s vocals soar over the heaviness. Leading into Killing Kind, this is where the band really ramp up the groove factor and start to play with the dynamics of the album, as each riff comes in it feels like it is constantly shifting. Title track Thieves And Liars ups the pace and energy, leaning more into that traditional metal grandeur with soaring vocals and bluesy riffs.
Failed Resistance feels like a dystopian anthem, as the lyrics discuss how humanity has lost its edge. The infectious groove is the core of the song and it’ll have you moving in no time as you imagine some Mad Max style scenario. The brief interlude track after Psychonaut – Edge Of Light, Mystery Of This gives you an uneasy calm as this short snippet of psychedelia transitions into the balls out rock anthem Brother. This is a traditional, old school rock song in all its glory. Cries Of A Dying Star finishes the album on a grungy note, similar to ALICE IN CHAINS even. An imposing riff drives the song forward alongside a thunderous drum groove.
BLACKWÜLF have certainly stepped up another level on Thieves And Liars, and it’s really working for them. This grungy brand of stoner rock that they have got going is sure to delight rock fans of all kinds. Weighty, grooving and dark, BLACKWÜLF are masters at creating hard-hitting and catchy riffs that will remain in your mind as earworms long after the album has finished.
Rating: 8/10
Thieves And Liars is set for release on February 3rd via Ripple Music.
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