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BLACKWOLF
The Hunt

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 6/10

The debut album from British rockers BlackWolf is one I’ve wanted to hear from some while due to the buzz initially surrounding them. The quintet features Scott Sharp on vocals, Ben Webb on bass, Tom Lennox-Brown on drums and the twin guitar groove of Jason Cronin and Jason Greenhill. And it’s fair to say that The Hunt is best experienced with the volume on ten.

From the smoky riffs, the cutting edge raunch ’n’ roll riffs and Sharp’s crystal clear, soulful vocals I’m oddly reminded of an intriguing mix of Danzig and Led Zeppelin – especially on the opener ‘Mr Maker’ – although these guys are very much part of that current British invasion which includes the likes of Jettblack and Voodoo Six.

This is very much traditional rock ’n’ roll exhibiting in parts some swagger, sway and soul and so it’s no surprise that the songs have more than a touch of retro with a modern spring. Sure, there’s nothing innovative at all about The Hunt, and it is at times a ballsy rocker of a record which could be accused of lacking meat, but there are moments throughout when it seems confident to stand on its own two feet, although at other times it doesn’t seem so self-assured.

With so many modern bands attempting a stripped back, down to earth style of rock it seems that the hordes are ever-flowing, and within this invasion there seems to be many bereft of pomp. I’m not sure where I really stand with The Hunt because for every good moment, like ‘Keep Moving On’ and ‘Trouble’, there are too many moments when the band becomes rather stale sounding like just every other rock ’n’ roll wannabe. There is certainly a distinct lack of presence with a majority of these upcoming rock bands, and for me, despite their talent and occasional strut, BlackWolf comes up short every time.

The press release is keen to promote the band as having “pounding rhythms” and being “energetic” and yet I can’t help but feel that they have a tired sound, relying on the vintage to create something that flits between mediocre and blues-tinged. Everything about the record, from the hip ‘Only Said In Silence’ through to the grooving jerk of ‘House Of Emerald Wine’ to the closing hooks of the sultry ‘Sleepwalking’ and sleazy ‘Sea of Mercy’, suggests something half-baked and merely solid; nothing more and nothing less.

At times quintessentially British and sewn together with a rich vein of the blues and reek of cool, The Hunt too often flatters to deceive in that the songs just aren’t strong enough to enable BlackWolf to stand above the huge crowd of bands with similar intentions. An extremely disappointing record indeed, and one which reeks of the bland.

Neil Arnold

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