Review Summary: Seventies rock anthem delivered with stoner swagger
Mos Generator has always presented a heavy stoner rock exoskeleton in whose chest beats the heart of an old school seventies rocker. The chunky riffs and sunny desert driving vibes reflect their psychedelic components while the vocals tap into a mix of Paul Stanley swagger and Ozzy mannerisms for those almost stadium-minded choruses. They even covered a Judas Priest song for good measure, scorching up “Solar Angels” in a way that fits the aspirations on display.
While 2012’s Nomads admittedly has a jumbled takeoff on the opening “Cosmic Ark,” the hook digs itself in well enough to endure the colliding rhythms. “Lonely One Kenobi” is where things get going with a perfect stop-start groove that clears the way for an assertive vocal line, ensuring its status as a live mainstay in the process. “Torches” and “Step Up” maintain that momentum with anthemic determination, the latter is an especially interesting exercise of introducing a slow doomy progression but subverting it with more uplifting melodies.
With the run through “Solar Angels” serving as a solid halfway marker, the back of the album shakes things up while keeping that spirit. “For Your Blood” is the album’s fastest number with tugs between flurrying verses and swinging choruses while “Can’t Get Where I Belong” has a steady waltz tempo building to another explosive choruses. The closing “This Is The Gift of Nature” is also interesting in that its seven-minute length sets it above the other numbers but ultimately doesn’t invoke the sort of epic climaxes one would expect, mostly filling out some atmosphere with a couple trippy bits and another cascading overall structure.
Overall, Nomads is a strong hard rock album whose no-nonsense attitude ends up being its strongest asset. Its aspirations and execution feel modest with an overlook rooted in a desire to just bash out some catchy rock songs, giving them a stronger personality and more memorable moments than many of their stoner peers. Mos Generator has other albums that may be more ambitious or experimental, but Nomads has always made a bold impression.
