Wolfmother – Dimensions

Wolfmother – Dimensions / 2005 Modular / 4 Tracks / http://www.wolfmother.com / http://www.modularpeople.com/ Reviewed 03 March 2006

Individuals could qualify as deaf if they can not hear the influence of Led Zeppelin in Wolfmother’s first track on “Dimensions”, “Dimension”. In fact, there are moments during “Dimension” that I would be hard-pressed to decide which band is Led Zeppelin if both Wolfmother and Led Zeppelin were played in a blind test. This is the next step to all of The Darkness-ripoff bands, a raising of the stakes; if bands after Wolfmother are unable to create the same bombast of the acts of their youth, they really should not be setting foot on the stage.

There are more influences than just Led Zeppelin that make themselves obvious on “Dimension”, of which the most major has to be Black Sabbath. In fact, much of the guitar work done on the track seems more influenced by “Iron Man” than anything. We can then divide Wolfmother up to their influences; there is a Led Zeppelin feel to the vocals, a Black Sabbath guitar sound, and a Black Crowes type of drumming all tied together under the name Wolfmother. The longer runtime present during ”Mind’s Eye” allows Wolfmother the range they need to make something that is utterly beautiful; the vocals work in almost an instrumental way to mesh well with the emotionally-affecting guitars present.

The vocals here on “Mind’s Eye” seem to be a mixture of two very different styles; Meatloaf and Thom York struggle for dominance during this track, while the guitars take a back seat in creating the scenery for the vocals. The presence of the synthesizer during “Mind’s Eye” really takes Wolfmother to another realm, and fills their sound up as far as it will go. There is nothing that the band could conceivably do after “Mind’s Eye” that could be construed as an improvement on their sound; this is just such a perfect, expansive track. In five minutes, Wolfmother tells a complete story, explains it, and tucks the listener into bed; there is simply nothing more for the band to do besides rock on “Love Train” and “The Earth’s Rotation Around The Sun”. the falsetto during “Love Train” approximates an individual trying to get with someone, while the dirty guitar work shows a sliminess that all whores have. Wolfmother have bashed out four hits on this EP and really set the stage for a full-length album that should rock the socks of anyone who has the luck to stick it into the player.

Top Track: Mind’s Eye

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]