I loved their debut album Carved In Stone and the settled line-up of Dunk Jewitt (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jan Trefusis (lead guitar), Joe Hugh (bass) and Ross Morris (drums) are back with Herd. A great cover design is a good start but the even better news is that Moosehead have raised the bar higher than on their debut. This is Moosehead with wild abandon, untamed and dangerous. Heal And Fade is a powerful opener, the band exuding confidence and attitude. If anything it goes up several notches with the nerve-shattering assault of One Good Reason complete with a killer solo from Jan. Free Your Mind is one of the very top tracks here, a really great riff, punchy dynamics and an assured vocal. The moose gets fast and loose on Speak No Evil – one to send a crowd into a frenzy and it does a fair job of that in my living room too.
Blood changes things around, it even has a string synth on it. Fortunately this is no wimpy ballad (power or otherwise) and it holds its own on the album. A nice breather before the Vietnam War storm of Lost My Mind ‘69 which has some psychedelic undertones weaving around the room while the rhythm section strips more paint off the walls. The stuttering riff of Snake Eyes is so cool as is the bass groove of Never Easy while Hand That Feeds is another fizzing top track for me. Don’t Stare At The Sun rolls over you like, well, a herd of moose. You cannot resist its awesome power. Closer Cabin Fever is the longest track and maybe the most diverse with Hammond organ filling things out (like they needed it – but hey more colour is good). Jan gets another cracking solo and to be fair he does all over the album. The band are great and with him on lead guitar I think it’s going to get them more attention. The last minute or so of Cabin Fever is a band playing all its aces and leaving you wanting more. Aren’t we lucky to have such a brilliant rock band in the UK? The album is out now and please do check them out. I love Moosehead and they deserve your support.
Watch the promo video for Free Your Mind
For more on the band go to https://moosehead.band/
