Wolfmother

Beating a five-time platinum record isn’t easy. Coming off their wildly successful self-titled first album, Wolfmother had pretty lofty expectations to meet. While frontman Andrew Stockdale had been hailed as a pioneer of hard rock revival, he was in danger of getting locked into Nickelback syndrome, making a career out of rewriting the same song. On “Cosmic Egg,” however, Wolfmother—with an all-new lineup supporting Stockdale—prove they have the talent and creativity to sustain their remarkable success. With intense, intricate, and looping guitar riffs, high pitched, Zeppelin-esque screeching, and rough, blazingly fast drum beats, “Cosmic Egg” is over an hour’s worth of epically long, stadium-worthy anthems.

Admittedly, “Cosmic Egg” does share a number of features with Wolfmother’s self-titled debut. Both albums’ tracks are filled with similarly rendered electric guitar sounds, the very occasional switch to acoustic segments, interspersed squeals, and hearty track lengths. Rapid beats are repeatedly counterbalanced with the scattering of double time, slower tempo sections. But “Cosmic Egg” takes a step towards even harder ’60s rock riffs and heavy metal intensity.

Wolfmother’s unexpected increase in energy is best evidenced on “New Moon Rising,” the album’s first single and standout track. A whirlwind of catchy guitar solos and pounding drums, it’s as fun to listen to as “Joker and the Thief” from their debut. Nearly 64th note bass drum and cymbal beats driving the entire track, it’s hard to keep up. Arpeggios of electric guitar fill a chorus of forceful, ominous lyrics: “She don’t mind / She got the time / I see the new moon rising.”

As usual, each song’s backbone is a distinct and catchy guitar lick. Sometimes these guitar melodies are comparable to the coarse, raspy, and low-pitched riffs played by the Black Keys; “Pilgrim,” “Phoenix,” and “White Feather”—the album’s slower, sparser moments—are prime examples of this. “Pilgrim” starts with an upbeat, swing-feel guitar riff that is soon joined by percussion. “She’s got hands that go inside my mind,” Stockdale moans. The quick pace suddenly slows to half as fast, adding to an overall blues style maintained throughout the track.

Alongside this more spartan ethos, “Cosmic Egg” provides several tracks to balance with a heavier, metallic sound. From beginning to end, “10,000 Feet” is filled with dark, sadistic, repeated low-note chords, a dominating drum set, and shrill, bestial screams. “Sundial” features intricate guitar riffs sequenced with driving, propulsive bass strangely reminiscent of a Black Sabbath throwback. The tracks maintain Wolfmother’s characteristic clumsy, hard rock style.

The disc boasts an impressive and well-arranged combination of bluesy and frenzied songs, and Wolfmother can remain booming at full blast without growing stale. Six-minute epic “In the Castle” contains interspersed fast and slow tempos and a very classic rock feel. Starting off with nearly 40 seconds of silence, the track begins with slow, calm, and collected vocals. This is quickly joined by powerful half-note guitar chords and a guitar lick that leads into a faster tempo and repeat of the verse. With lead singer Stockdale’s passionate wail and the grandeur and straightforwardness of the melody, it sounds something like Led Zeppelin with a more metallic edge.

While “Cosmic Egg” clearly isn’t the most diverse album, this really doesn’t detract from its overall success. If anything, it provides a unity of sorts. Almost three years after the band’s thrilling debut, Stockdale and Wolfmother’s simple formula sustains yet another record. A heavy metal behemoth, “Cosmic Egg” is proof that, when it comes to quality hard rock, there can’t be too much of a good thing.