Review Summary: A demented, yet highly addictive take on high-octane riff rock.
It's way easier to name the subgenre of rock that Bristol-based Turbowolf don't actually explore on their eponymous debut album. The band effectively incorporate a plethora of various influences into one peculiar, yet admirably focused album.
Turbowolf might be a stoner rock record at its core due to Andy Ghosh’s massive guitar tone that channels both wicked heaviness and bouncy playfulness. However, the band pushes the boundaries of genre definition to a whole new level. They accompany bludgeoning guitar riffs and a boisterous rhythm section with demented synthesizer adds and heavy metal-inclined, throaty vocals of Chris Georgiadis being an acquired taste. This amalgamation coupled with the band's passion for adventurous songwriting results in a startlingly refreshing style.
The album’s greatest strength is its harmonic interplay. The thunderous stoner rock riffs of “Bag O Bone” and “A Rose For The Crows” are bolstered by the use of juxtaposing pop-induced choruses. Classic rock-inspired “The Big Cut” superbly builds to a spastic guitar solo in its second half. The album’s most representative track, “Read & Write”, blends a high-octane riff with vintage keys to an unsettling effect, while “Son (Sun)” fuses mellow, distinctly alternative verses with an unexpected boogie rock outburst in the chorus. In contrast, “Seven Severed Heads” and “Things Could Be Good Again” burst with hardcore punk energy in their ultra-fast passages. “All The Trees” stands out as an anomaly that almost entirely revolves around spacey 1980s-induced electronica.
At the very least,
Turbowolf brilliantly captures explosive live shows of the band by means of precise studio production. Despite its multifaceted presentation, the album is never less than accessible and inclusive. Every song contains something entirely memorable, whether it's an addictive chorus, a flashy guitar riff or a flamboyant synthesizer solo. The act capitalize on these elements by displaying the carefree rock'n'roll attitude that permeates through the entire disc making it conspicuously audacious.
