Blackwülf, Thieves And Liars (Ripple 2023)

Blackwülf is starting off their second decade with a killer album, Thieves And Liars.

Heavy stoner band Blackwülf began in 2012 in Oakland, California. Dedicated to massive riffs and with an on-going nod to the past, they released their first record in 2014, Mind Traveler. Two more followed as the years passed and the reputation of the band grew ever stronger. It has been five years since the last one so fans are chomping at the bit for Thieves And Liars. The band is Scott Peterson (bass), Dave Pankenier (drums), Pete Holmes (guitars), and Alex Cunningham (vocals).

“Shadow” has a nice dark sound, and it gets the set rolling right. There is something very recognizable about this music. In fits and starts. You think you have a bead on it – as in, oh I know where that comes from – and then the music shifts and it’s something else. There is a presence here of 1970s metal and of 1970s rock, coming together in synergy rather conflict. “Seems to Me” pushes the hoary spike in deeper, and in this expression the path trends a bit more linear. Glorious fuzz and a dream-weaving leads further the declarations of the period vocals to the place where knowing and unknowing become indistinguishable. And then we have “Killing Kind,” which is a spellcaster if ever one existed. The music tells you what it is going to do and does it without delay. It is a witching little wonder that branches out on the guitar now and again.

You can find nostalgia in this album, or you could take the new music as a contemporary instantiation. Or both, which is what I suggest. Look out for “Failed Resistance” especially if you want to lean into the former, and “Psychonaut / Edge of Light” for a moody and ornamental avenue of the latter. For the sheer kickass rock and roll of it all, listen to “Brother.” There is something here that touches on each of our favorite things. Recommended.