Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
Something sizeable is stirring in Bristol. A colossally proportioned sizeable in fact. Sufficiently colossal to emit underworldly seismic eruptive forces on a Krakatoa scale.
In the process generating mafic thermal properties significantly superior to those siliceous lavas that pour relentlessly down the slopes of Kilauea.
From every perspective Bristol-based quartet Mother Vulture’s debut album radiates outwards, from its dark epicentre, with earthquake-strengths and volcanic heats unleashed from the planet’s very core. Take from it me mother does, indeed, know, best.
This isn’t a release that conforms in any shape or form; far, far from it. In fact, this downright anarchic, feral dozen is the antonym of conformity.
With an acerbic stance it snarls through clenched teeth; prowling shadows blacker than the blackest shade that Hotblack Desatio, frontman of the galaxy’s loudest band Disaster Area, ever dared to dream of.
Think the filthiest blues-fringed punked up alloy and you’re taking the right turning. Head a few more miles along the freeway and you’ll be in the chaotic clamorous realms that this four-piece dwell within. Bouncing off the walls with a structural shattering Brownian motion Mother Vulture ready themselves to be unleashed.
2022 has been the year that MV have burst forth from their underground Westcountry HQ and captured the imagination of a far-reaching audience. Bloodstock, Call Of The Wild, Steelhouse, Leopallooza, amongst many, were all struck head-on by their complete disregard for the constraining laws of physics. Quite incredibly their elevated levels of kinetic are captured perfectly upon this fine slab of science defying epic.
From the cascading tubthumping intro of ‘Fame Or Shame’ through to the howling riffage of ‘Homemaker’ it’s all here in glorious technicolour. Sandwiched in between is a juicy filling of previously released singles melded with some cuts attaining their first airing.
As Matt West’s drumming tumbles like the rapids over the boulders 2020 single ‘Fame Or Shame’ is brought forwards kicking and screaming. Sharpened up a touch from the original release it’s the perfect starter for 11! Brodie Maguire’s roaring Gretsch whirlpools atop the unshakeable basslines of Chris Simpson before enigmatic frontman Georgi Valentine gate-crashes the rock n’ rolling kit and caboodle in typical pertinacious fashion. MV have landed and there is no doubt that they will have their name in lights!
Mean, moody and most certainly magnificent MV have unleashed a statement of intent, one which by the last chords of this debut long-player will have achieved their goal. Latest single ‘Monster Crunch’ applies precisely what is wrapped about the metaphorical tin. Destructive energies harnessed in a raging maelstrom apply the killer blow.
Signed in blood ‘Honey’ is an earworm of intensity that isn’t gonna leave your head in a hurry. The tracks come at a ferocious Ramones-like pace with titling as strikingly short and punchy as the material within. With less than nine minutes on the clock the listener is beckoned down the ‘Rabbit Hole.’ A mysterious pseudo-ecclesiastical intro is the harbinger of the raw, bleeding edgy metalliferous onslaught imminent.
Maguire brings in a twisted Chuck Berry sort of rock n’ roll riff; one way out, one way in ‘Big Bad’ sets about the rulebook ripping and shredding it into miniscule fragments that are no match to the hurricane strengths. It’s blistering and unrelenting and god it’s wholesomely refreshing. Can’t put it any better than the ‘Fucking Yes!” which concludes this wondrously abrasive number.
Valentine harnesses an inner Iggy whilst West taps his sticks; the ‘Shifting Sands’ blast the face of conformity with industrial output. Simpson’s pulsating bass resonates as we’re introduced to the mania of ‘Mr Jones’; there’s no relenting in the frenetic energies as the blast radius continues to expand outwards. The caged beast rattles and bends its holding bars before shaking off what once held it captive. It revels in its freedom exploiting lunar potencies for its own end.
Feaasting upon Mother Earth ‘Vile Breed’ takes a deprecating look upon the havoc humanity has wreaked upon our planet. Scowling with a Sabbath undercurrent contorted into a gnarled 21st Century MV deliver an ominous message. The brooding melancholic angst of ‘Not Yet’ signals an unexpected brief, yet delicious, downturn of tempo. It’s gentler than what has preceded but it still rips out the beating heart and slams it upon the counter.
The mellifluous entanglement that is ‘Put Me Down’ brings a shadowy post-grunge element that undergoes a MV transfusion in a broiling melting pot of trademark Vulture intensity. The switches are flicked back to eleven as the tranquil 22 seconds of ‘Interlude’ path the way for the album closing ferocity of ‘Homemaker’ to tear down the ramparts.
This band have been one of my personal Favorite discoveries of 2022 and I’m guaranteed to have this magnificence in my playlist for eternity. Mother Vulture have dispensed with the wheel discovering their own unique method of propulsion.
Simply put there is absolutely nothing anywhere close to them in terms of output or delivery. Trailblazing out of Bristol Mother Vulture hit the road for some dates supporting the release of ‘Mother Knows Best.’
Catch them at these dates –
Thursday 1st December – Move, Exeter
Friday 2nd December – Old Bakery Studios, Truro
Saturday 3rd December – Rough Trade, Bristol
Tuesday 6th December – Bannermans, Edinburgh
Wednesday 7th December – The New Adelphi Club, Hull
Friday 9th December – The Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham
Tickets are available now for all shows. Grab yours here
MOTHER VULTURE are:
Georgi Valentine – Vocals
Brodie Maguire – Guitar
Chris Simpson – Bass
Matt West – Drums
For more MOTHER VULTURE, find them online:
