When it comes to the new wave of Sabbath-worshipping bands, we must at least acknowledge the evocative force of their music – a direct reference to the sacrosanct ’70s, well, at least in our minds. Their talent for revival is even more disconcerting, given the average age among these bands usually doesn’t go over thirty. By invoking the clichés pop culture has kept feeding us with, they depict a rural America that is deeply rooted in the past, rusty, filthy, filled with weary faces who are only moved by a desolated breeze. This is how most people picture Muhrica’, as altered by the prism of grindhouse cinema and other cheap flicks as it is. Whether this representation is close to reality or not, YOUNGBLOOD SUPERCULT (YBSC) invite us to embark on a moody road trip into Midwest, a shout out to a long lost America.
Who better than Topeka, Kansas’ kids YBSC to be our music guides? Take a seat in their heavy rock truck, one that’s dipped in a sheer ’70s spirit and tanned with some dazzling fuzz: the roaring of intense guitars, audacious riffs and dynamics will give you the underlying feel of riding miles and miles without never looking back (« Wormwood »). Why “underlying”, you’d ask? Because the album’s overall vibe is melancholic, oneiric, far from the occult-sounding atmospheres of their previous record High Plains.
And who better than David Merill to give you goosebumps? His bluesy, soulful and heartfelt vocals are just as powerful as they are careful. Drowned in reverb, they get ghostly on « Draugr », while a stellar Bailey Smith responds with brilliant psychedelic solos, and the rhythm section let the whole thing breathe (« Mr Gallows »), highlighting the bluesy feeling of the record.
YBSC managed a tour de force by blending what can be seen as antagonist flavors, making it their own sonic identity. Their passionate riffs, guitar solos and soulful vocals are all crying with melancholy, to a long gone era… And if you take a closer look at the artwork and album title, you may read between the lines and see an underlying political concern. The grandeur of a now dying America, just like this stallion made gangrenous by a shredded spangled-star banner, stuck into his flesh. So now when it comes to 70’s revival, make sure to keep YoungBlood Supercult on your must-hear list.
ARTIST: Youngblood Supercult
ALBUM: “The Great American Death Rattle”
RELEASED: 13th June 2017
LABEL: DHU Records
GENRE: 70s heavy rock
MORE: Facebook / Bandcamp
Last modified: 21 August 2017
