Album Type: Full Length
Label: Small Stone
Tracklist:
Moon Queen
Touch Your Groove
Split
Mutate
Streets of Evermore
Dirty Driving
Woman King
The Queen is Not Impressed
Quicksand
SOS
Hollow Horn
Pluto
Line up:
Jon Conine: Bass
Don Freeman: Drums
Vechel Jaynes: Guitar & Vocals
Mike Pellegrino: Guitar & Vocals
Review:
Being a child of the seventies, I grew up listening to a lot of great music. I maybe didn’t fully appreciate the music at the time, but I do now, and looking back, that’s probably why the majority of music I listen to these days, has at least a nod in the direction of that decade.
Queue Lord Fowl and their debut Small Stone record Moon Queen. This little beauty should come packaged with a pair of loon pants and platform shoes it’s so 70’s. I’m not just talking Sabbath here folks. There’s a sprinkling of Deep Purple here, a bit of Zeppelin there and in places, a dash of glam rock. Think T-Rex rather than some 80’s glam metal monstrosity though.
Title track Moon Queen starts the proceedings on a gentle note. Mike Pellegrino’s vocals take centre stage for all of 15 seconds before the rest of the band stomp on the fuzz and the head banging begins. This song’s got it all, great riffs, fine solos and some fine drumming courtesy of Don Freeman.
Touch Your Groove is next up and does just that. Not in a ‘normal’ way though. The verse of this one isn’t an easy one to follow on first (or second) listen but give it time. As for the chorus, it’s quite simply sublime.
Split is a straight up rocker with a bass-heavy riff, which is no doubt bowel, shaking live. While Woman King slows the pace right down and proves to be a stunning laid-back, fuzzed-up head nodder.
The thing that’s apparent throughout this album is that there’s a real quality and diversity to the playing and the song writing, something that’s often lacking from a lot of bands. Sure they can play, yeah they can riff, but how many bands have you heard that can actually write a tune that sticks in your head like a pop song, yet is still heavier than a sack of hammers. Not many that’s for sure. Luckily Lord Fowl is here to satisfy your needs.
You want some diversity. How about a little glam rock stomp? Well here you go sir, have a bit of Quicksand. It reminded me of David Bowie’s The Jean Genie with that intro riff and vocal.
What’s that you say? You’re a fan of duel vocals? Well I’ll be damned; Lord Fowl have got them, and not that all-too-common singer/shouter type thing either. Two ‘proper’ singers - powerful, soulful, solid rock voices.
If like me you dig the whole seventies thang, give Lord Fowl a go. You won’t be disappointed. Killer songs with huge hooks, mighty solos and some good old fashioned proper singing. What more could you want – apart from the free loon pants?
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