REVIEW: MOONBOW – WAR BEAR (2017)

Published:

Matt Bischoff’s War Cry

MV will admit, when the press release for this dropped into the inbox, proclaiming that the singer in Moonbow – Matt Bischoff – was a “BMX legend” who was a star of the Survivor reality TV show, our reaction was a shrug.

We might never have ridden a BMX, or clapped eyes on Survivor, but here’s the thing. We love loud music with riffs from the desert and a country tinge. Thus, we love Moonbow.

Their second album proper (there was also an acoustic EP) and their first for the Ripple label, sees the band (who are completed by Davey McElfresh of Hank 3, Ryan McAllister, ex of Valley Of The Sun and former Afghan Whigs drummer Steve Earle) in belligerently brilliant form.

The title cut starts this 10 tracker off and imagine if you will some mystical world where Corrosion Of Conformity took “Wiseblood” and made it more rootsy, went on some voyage of discovery with only the Kyuss back catalogue on the stereo, then added a whole heap of when Soundgarden were good and you are somewhere close to the sonic joy here. Indeed, by the time Bischoff has got to the chorus and offered – in a way that suggests he isn’t apologising – that he’s “smoking again, drinking again with my blood” with all the roar of Chris Cornell and McElfresh has played a glorious solo, then your fists are in the air and absolutely no fucks are given.

And here’s the awesome bit: the whole record is like that.

“Sword In The Storm”, if anything has a groove that is even dirtier, “Drinking Alone” is a hard rock rabble rouser, and even the change of pace that is “Bloodwash” seems like it’s just waiting for a chance to do some damage to something, hell, anything, it can – and it does, before it is over.

Not that “War Bear” is just an excuse for riffery. There are some real superb touches of songwriting here – not least the superb “Death Of Giants” which strikes a more monolithic tone.

Arguably best of all though is “Alone Eyes Roam” which comes from somewhere primal and gets even more full of rage as it soars off into its hook line, while “California King” takes a 24 pack and heads off with its bro’s (you imagine this band has very much a male, testosterone fuelled audience) for all kinds of shenanigans.

This might mean that there is nothing approaching a ballad or regret here,  but there is a gift for reflective melody, as on “The Road”. It just so happens, though, that the band are at their best when they are at some boozy, bluesy full throttle as they are on “Son Of Moses”.

By the time the rumbling, thumping, “Toward The Sun” has ended this collection, there is only one conclusion: There are many bands who do this type of thing. There aren’t many better – on this evidence anyway – than Moonbow, “War Bear” is mighty in every way imaginable. For this BMX legend, the musical ride is surely just beginning.

Rating 9/10

Previous article
Next article

More From Author

spot_img

Popular Posts

Latest Gig Reviews

Latest Music Reviews

spot_img

Band Of The Day