Page 21 - Classic Rock (January 2020)
P. 21
‘HU ARE
Neil Young
THE GLORIOUS SONS NEIL YOUNG
44 A War On Everything EARACHE 41 & CRAZY HORSE YOU?’
With their third album, Colorado REPRISE
Canada’s the Glorious Undaunted by ‘Poncho’
Sons reaffirmed their Sampedro’s absence,
status as the greatest Young merely brought Horse-head violins, throat-singing, Mongolian
rock band the world in former Horse warriors, biker gangs… Step inside the world of
cont
inues to ignore. guitarist Nils Lofgren to one of 2019’s most compelling bands.
plug
That situation is everyone else’s loss. the void for the first Words: Fraser Lewry
A War On Everything adds Springsteen-y Crazy Horse album for seven years.
blue-collar heft to modern rock Colorado bucked and roared like vintage ack in June, these rising stars of Mongolian
tunefulness and an unabashed pop Young, gloriously untamed on epic jam She music performed a short, one-song set at their
sensibility. Something that’s easy enough Showed Me Love and uncompromisingly nation’s embassy in West London. They’re the
to get down on paper, but much harder to direct on Shut It Down. Personal themes of kind of events diplomats specialise in, designed
perfect in real life. Glorious Sons have loss, love and regret were offset by wider B to introduce an aspect of a nation’s culture to
nailed it. Now it’s down to everyone else to preoccupations with ecological collapse the citizens of another country: invitees enjoy some local
do the right thing. DE and political dissent. RH delicacies, drink too much, exchange business cards, and go
Killer track: A War On Everything Killer track: She Showed Me Love home having learned a little about something new.
This was how Classic Rock was officially introduced to
BLACK FUTURES OPETH The Hu, although we’d had our eye on them for some
43 Never Not Nothing 40 n Cauda Venenum time. Back in 2018 they released two videos: first Yuve Yuve
I
MUSIC FOR NATIONS How to describe the MODERBOLAGET The Swedish metallers- Yu, a widescreen epic that looked like an advert for the
pre-apocalyptic epic, stunningly shot clip aligning Mongolian warriors
Mongolian tourist board, followed by Wolf Totem, an equally
turned-prog overlords’
racket created by this
with Western biker gangs. But beyond the spectacle – and
thirteenth album was
mysterious, hazmat-
both films are genuinely spectacular – what captured the
also their first to be sung
suited pair of studio
mavericks? Something
in their native tongue (it
attention of the millions of viewers who shared the videos
did also come with an
like:
synth-metal glam-punk that invites you to English version). Tender and intimate in was the music.
A beautifully choreographed mix of Central Asian folk
party like it’s 2099, preferably intoxicated places, heavy and bombastic in others, In and Western rock, The Hu’s songs covered subjects not
by the mind-altering effects of a communal Cauda Venenum was the sound of a band at normally associated with the bands covered in these pages:
rock’n’rave happening? But whichever way the height of their abilities doing exactly the power of nature, respecting one’s elders, the beauty
you spin it, this is one earth-shaking blast what they wanted – and thoroughly of a mother’s love. Rich in spirituality, it also celebrated
of a debut album. JS enjoying it. A rousing, luxurious affair, Mongolia’s history as a great warrior nation. And it struck
Killer track: Love brilliantly executed. PG a chord. Perhaps, in an age of fake news and Facebook and
Killer track: Svekets Prins deep, rabid division, we really do need music to be the thing
PHIL CAMPBELL that connects us to each other.
42 Old Lions Still Roar JEFF LYNNE’S ELO The Hu aren’t doing anything revolutionary. The great
NUCLEAR BLAST For those of us who 39 From Out Of Nowhere COLUMBIA Tuvan band Yat-Kha were ploughing a similar furrow two
uncertain the times, you years working on a similar hybrid. But The Hu are getting
decades ago, and Chinese metallers Tengger Cavalry spent
No matter how
believe Motörhead are
for life, not just for Ace
always know where you
it right. They haven’t moved too far from their folk roots,
Of Spades, it’s been
stand with ELO. The
and have avoided the temptation to switch local traditional
heartening to see long-
latest from Jeff Lynne’s
instruments for their modern equivalents. So the morin
serving guitarist Phil man operation
one-
Campbell thriving with the Bastard Sons (except for Steve Jay’s percussion and khuur (horse-head violin) is front and centre, the jaw harp
boings, the rhythms canter like wild horses, and the throat
since Lemmy’s passing. His debut solo a cameo from longtime pianist Richard singing and its mysterious harmonics give Western audiences
album channels his ferocious guitar tone Tandy) continued the stellar work of 2015 a taste of something that feels free, and wild, and deeply
into bluesy hard rockers, framed with comeback Alone In The Universe, delivering connected to something they might have lost. It’s also music
weightier, more intense tracks and acoustic a blend of heart-stopping chord changes that somehow paints a dramatic picture of the land from
interludes. Guests including Rob Halford and spacey concerto pop, perfectly which it came. And debut album The Gereg carries on where
and Alice Cooper bring their A-game. RD illustrated by the sublime title track. RH the videos left off. It feels heroic. And we all need heroes.
Killer track: Faith In Fire Killer track: From Out Of Nowhere
CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM 21
