Wolfmother’s latest album entitled Victorious is a strong offering which plays to the classic rock sounds of the Australian power trio whilst adding in a few new elements to create an exciting and habitual album.
The initial track titled “The Love That You Give” sets the precedent for the rest of the album with heavy guitar and bass whilst maintaining a powerful ‘thud’ from the drum section, reminding its audience of the established sound which is enjoyed by many from Wolfmother’s previous albums Wolfmother (2006) and Cosmic Egg (2009). Whilst the album remains traditional in sound, the album benefits from a large volume of musical texturing from various effects and instruments. However, the listener is never overwhelmed by its content, clearly having been influenced by the likes of Royal Blood in their approach to simplistic presence. The result of which is an album which is saturated musically and maintains a constant theme and refrain.
However, the album’s runtime at 35 minutes does leave its listeners feeling a little underwhelmed in terms of content, especially when the content is rather repetitive in terms of feel. Though on a second and third time listening the short runtime complements the overall attitude of the album, one which does not relent in its power, meaning that its listeners get a short sharp dose of classic power rock (with some lighter songs thrown in for good measure such as “Pretty Peggy”). In this context the album represents that classic freneticism found in the bands influences (the likes of Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes and Black Sabbath) justifying the potentially controversial runtime.
In summary, Victorious is an album which whilst not innovating beyond belief remains true to the roots of Wolfmother. It delivers an electrifying performance which is easily accessible due to the short runtime and its sound which fits in nicely with the modern rock tone being set by the likes of Royal Blood, Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys.
Review by Thomas Gibbens