Spirited roots rock tribute

On their seventh studio album, Darkfighter, Rival Sons solidify their reputation as powerhouse performers over the course of some pretty catchy Creedence-Zeppelin-Sabbath type roots numbers. While the band lack the striking identity or indelible songs of their templates, the first half of the record demands to be replayed for its anthemic hooks and soulful crescendos.

“Mirrors” launches the journey with a glassy organ melody, which evokes a holiness somewhere between Christianity and Lord of the Rings. Before Scott Holiday’s guitar riffage rips it up, Michael Miley slams in with funky shuffle on drums and Jay Buchanan starts belting in the faux Southern accent common to natives of the Bluesrockania region. They quickly bring it back down again to an elvish acoustic pre-chorus. Even though, like most of the lyrics on the record, “smashing the mirror to see beyond the earth” reveals cheesy writing, it sure feels galvanizing as Buchanan restates, or re-howls, it. 

“Nobody Wants to Die” features a more frenetic, running out of time pace. “Bird in the Hand” features a jazzy, bouncy, Kinks’ “Sunny Afternoon” sort of intro and outro and a swaggering chorus. “Bright Light” has a haunted, dead of night vibe. Like his forebear John Fogerty, Jay Buchanan seems to have picked up a captivating Nawlins accent at some point during his California upbringing. While there’s nothing new about a plea like “the ship will come my way to rescue me,” there’s also nothing new about raw desperation, which is audible on this song and moving just the same. After “Rapture,” with its swooning instrumental and Buchanan’s sweet harmonies embracing the apocalyptic awesomeness of his vocal chops, the A material drops off.

The untamed proto-metal concept of “Guillotine” is charming enough but makes for generic listening. “Horses Breath” and “Darkside,” at six minutes each, feel slow and indistinct. Since the band are such talented and fiery musicians, it would probably be fun to sit in-person as they jammed on even their least inspired ideas. But there’s not much use for slack recordings when there are decades-worth of Americana hits to choose from instead.

Darkfighter is best enjoyed as a very nice EP rather than an uneven album. Its first five tunes have a religious fervor that jumps to the listener. While Rival Sons don’t have the classic vision of their influences, their musicality can still propel them to exhilarating heights.