Wolfmother: Victorious ALBUM REVIEW

I remember a cold morning in Wisconsin back in 2006, my brother and I were watching VH1 (back when they used to play music on that channel) and we came across a song called "Woman". That song was a big surprise; here among tracks from Coldplay, The Fray, and Seether was a rock song that strutted like a true classic tune, reminiscent of bands like Led Zeppelin. Sure, it wasn't the smartest or most original tune out there, but that track was enough for my brother and I to purchase the band's debut, self-titled album. And the album itself wasn't bad either, though the same criticism of "Woman" could be applied to the entirety of that album.

However, a lot has happened since the release of that album, not just for me, but also for Wolfmother. The band followed that debut with an equally strong sophomore release, titled Cosmic Egg, but then tensions were at an all time high and the band ended up calling it quits, at least everyone but frontman, Andrew Stockdale, who trudged on with a new band. Andrew followed Cosmic Egg up with an album I honestly didn't know existed until doing my research for this album review. However, that isn't surprising since the album never actually got a proper release. Alas, we do have this, the fourth album under the Wolfmother name, titled, Victorious.

With a title like that, you'd expect this to be the record where Stockdale proves he can still conjure up the solid rock tracks of the first two albums, without the aid of his former bandmates, or in this album's case, hardly anyone else, save for a studio drummer or two. In fact, this album is pretty much an Andrew Stockdale solo effort, and it shows.

The album kicks things off with two really solid tracks, "The Love That You Give" and the title track "Victorious". Both of these tracks showcase how well Stockdale can emulate rock classics without outright copying them, and the fact that these two tracks ignited that original fire for the band is no surprise. However, it doesn't take long for this album to take a turn for the mediocre. "Baroness" is okay, but it's a pretty bland affair with some medieval themed lyrics that don't go over so well. But the following track "Pretty Peggy" is where things go full on terrible. It's an acoustic tune; which is fine, but instead of sounding like a Houses of The Holy cut, it comes off as a bad impression of the Lumineers. Plus, the lyrics are horrendous, with Stockdale literally saying "Roses are red/ Violets are blue".

The rest of the LP alternates from passable ("City Lights", "Best of a Bad Situation", "Gypsy Caravan") to patently forgettable ("Eye of the Beholder", "Happy Face") and that's a shame, because the start gives you the impression that you're in for a solid, if not entirely unique Rock album, but instead, Victorious is incredibly inconsistent.

5.5/10