The boisterous Mother Vulture have created quite a stir, and judging from their debut Mother Knows Best (Lockdown Records) it is very easy to see why. The Bristolian four piece are a whirlwind of different sounds – punk, metal and Royal Blood like rock rolled into one rowdy whole.
It starts off with ‘Fame or Shame’, a thunderous ball of sleaze with a modernized, take-no-prisoners swagger akin to Skid Row in their prime. This high octane energy is a key ingredient, especially in the propulsive ‘Monster Crunch’ and the metallic tinged ‘Homemaker’. The latter is a particular joy, the talent on show oozing out of the speakers. Amongst the hurricane like energy is a hook or two, with ‘Rabbit Hole’ sporting a pleasing on the ear, brooding hook akin to Royal Blood. ‘Honey’ boasts the same qualities, with a fuzzy wall of chords and an infectious, earworm of a chorus that is all wrapped up in under three minutes – nothing here outstays its welcome.
Georgi Valentine has a punky, sneering vocal quality that suits the heavy stomp of the music – this comes to the fore in the hefty, Queens Of The Stone Age influenced snarl of ‘Shifting Sands’. Mother Knows Best is remarkably self-assured for a debut, it is very full-on to boot with the angriest moment coming in ‘Vile Breed’, with its harsh vocals and cacophonous climax. Although the bouncy ‘Mr Jones’, and its impassioned cries of “Why don’t you jump off a cliff!”, comes a close second. The pace relents momentarily in the bluesy number ‘Not Yet’: it’s a lumbering brute which plods along and is the only real blip here.
With Mother Knows Best, Bristol’s own Mother Vulture have created a tour de force of raucous, in your face Rock that does not relent for thirty-six glorious minutes.
Buy the album here:
8 / 10
THOMAS THROWER