#29 - Top of 2019

Rival Sons - Feral Roots (Atlantic Records)

Rival Sons are one of the greatest "real" rock bands of our time and last year they returned with one of the best and possibly more complete records of their entire backlog: "Feral Roots". A great album combining soul melodies with pure rock and roll aggression, containing no fewer than four compositions that are already considered classics: "Look Away" talks about empathy with a magnificent bridge which complements the dreamy intro, "Feral Roots" with emotional vocals reminiscent of the great Demis Roussos, "All Directions" with its retro vibe and finally the great "Shooting Stars" combining a full emotional explosion with the great vocal companionship of the the Nashville Urban Choir. These deeply emotional experiences are accompanied by wild rocking tracks like "Do Your Worst", "Back In The Woods" and the sexy "Sugar on the Bone" that taken into context create a complete record for all fans of rock music (and to be fair all music, in general).




93.8/100

Below are the music videos for "Do  your Worst" and "Sugar on the Bone".

#11 - Top of 2018

Clutch - Book of Bad Decisions (Weathermaker Music)

What can be said about the latest endeavour of southern/stoner/slacker rockers Clutch? The album follows suit from previous releases "Earth Rocker" and "Psychic Warfare", continuing the trend of the band experimenting with different song structures and playfully dipping their toes in variations of the sound that made them famous. They can't go too wrong as the vocals of Neil Fallon and the riffing by Tim Sult, accompanied by the ever-present rhythm section of Dan Maines (bass) and Jean-Paul Gaster are a surefire guarantee of a good-time. And in the "Book of Bad Decisions", the band again delivers with another album good from the bottom to the top. Thus, the band seems to have found the recipe for success in creating groovy compositions that seem destined to dominate any live show they play! After all, they can write anthems effortlessly, with "How To Shake Hands" and "Weird Times" being two of the more distinctive compositions that confirm Clutch's excellence in this area and are distinguished for their functionality and simplicity. At the same time, as noted above, they continue to display a tendency to experiment and mix different stylistic elements. This results to a host of truly memorable compositions, with 'In' Walks Barbarella "(with the excellent use of wind instruments) and" Vision Quest "(with a fantastic piano orchestration) being perhaps the most stand-out tracks. Along with the aforementioned tracks,  "Emily Dickinson", "Ghoul Wrangler" and "Lorelei" (with a very .. soundtrack dynamic) are a set of compositions that would fit seamlessly in almost any previous band release, and once again reaffirm Clutch as one of the best rock acts of any kind out there.


95.5/100

Below are the music videos for "In Walks Barbarella", "Hot Bottom Feeder", "Give Me the Keys", "How to Shake Hands" and "Ghoul Wrangler".

#5 - Top of 2012

Rival Sons - Head Down (Earache Records)

Moving on to the top 5, Head Down is the third and arguably the best studio album by 70's blues-rock band from California, Rival Sons. It starts strongly with the groovy "Keep on Swinging" that introduces the listener to the powerful and confident vocals by Jay Buchanan, catchy bluesy guitar riffs by Scott Holiday and great drums by Mike Miley. The songs "You Want To", "Jordan" and "Three Fingers" also showcase the range of Buchanan's vocals who is not afraid to show of, setting the vibe for the album and maintaining a balance without overpowering the other members."Wild Animal" sticks to the rock elements while "Until the Sun Comes" and "All the Way" add a more quirky note and "Nava" turn to a more peaceful tone. The record doesn't lack the bluesy vibe with songs like "Run from Revelation" as well as a more epic atmosphere in both parts of "Manifest Destiny"! Overall, this is an excellent album demonstrating the true heart of the Southern spirit!


95/100

Below is the music video for the groovy "Keep on Swinging".

#18 - Top of 2014

Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie (Earache)

Released in June 2014, this is the fourth work from Rival Sons and their most well-rounded work to date. Rival Sons are a southern rock/ hard rock band from California. They became well known with their second work, Pressure and time (2009) and were further propeled into fame by their third album and the single "Keep on Swinging". With this, their fourth full-length release, they reached the top of the US Heat Charts as well as a very respectable no 14 on the UK charts. This is well-deserved for this release as it strays from the southern sound of their predecessors and veers towards a more pure blooded hard rock record who is bound to appeal to a more broad audience while at the same time keeping true to their southern influences.


93/100


Below is the music video from "Electric Man", the opening track of the album.

#4 - Top of 2015

Clutch - Psychic Warfare (Weathermaker Music)

This is the eleventh album by famous southern/sludge rockers Clutch. It is a great album and excellent follow-up to their very successful previous effort Earth Rocker. In this album, Clutch keep the formula of the last album, by leaving the best tracks for the end of the album. Up-beat strong tracks such as "X-Ray Vision" are a great start to the album, but closing tracks "Our Lady of Electric Light" and "Son of Virginia" are really special. This album combines the groove of the first half of the album and the southern heaviness of the latter exceptionally, making it overall one of the best releases of 2015.



98/100


Below is the video for one of the upbeat tracks that kickstart the album, X-Ray Vision