The Rise Above label, and their off-shoot Rise Above Relics, is one that I have spent one heck of a lot of money on since it was founded by one time Napalm Death unintelligible noise belcher and erstwhile Cathedral Huggy Bear channeller Lee Dorian, and as such I always keep an eye on their ventures. Hence when they brought Texan throwbacks White Dog into their fold, and announced the release of their eponymous debut album, well, it is safe to say that I was more than a little interested, especially considering that whilst this was this was a brand new band signed to the modern label, it promised that it could sound as if it were a historic release on their memory restoring subsidiary.
From the off, every beat, chord, and note of White Dog’s music screams back to a time of yore, owing far more to a 1970’s slowly fading and corrupting peace and love California scene than it does to the current 2020’s pandemic ridden cynicism. Album opener ‘Sawtooth’ sallies forth with a stomp like Free after too large a line of speed, the track being imbued with a barely restrained aggression, all gritted teeth and staring eyes, whilst follow up ‘Black Powder’ practically dances madly backwards (a Captain Beyond joke for those too young to remember, and please let me recommend that band to you) to an earlier era of hard rock. ‘Lanterns’ brings a laid-back air to the proceedings with simple chill out chords and a solo designed to cool the fevered brow rather than incite a stomping whirlpool of hair and flares, whilst by comparison the opening of ‘Snapdragon’ quickly develops from a funky strut into a proto-Prog-rock sneer, lyrics delivered with a near haughty imperiousness over jazzy riffs. Genuinely, it is hard to believe this is a new album as opposed to one of the reissues the label is famous for, such is the dedication of the artists to recreate the early rock sounds they so obviously have immersed themselves in. By the time ‘Crystal Panther’ stomps out out the speakers, so long as you have a pulse, you’ll be suffused to your astral body with a Blue Cheer.
To bring the spaced out listener back to earth ‘Abandon Ship’ is laden with an early Doors swagger, a sound that jumps forward into the mellow come down of ‘Pale Horse’ that combines the most laid back tones of Led Zep III with a later Southern Rock blast; Lynyrd Skynrd may be soon to bow out after their apparently unending farewell tour, but when they finally retire their fans can take solace in the sounds of White Dog, but without the Confederate flag waving. By the time the band finishes the all too short album with the acid tinged hippy trip of ‘Versus Cultus’, White Dog have travelled pretty much the entire spectrum of classic rock and proto-metal with a respectful patchouli infused bow to their forebears.
Yes, there is little new about the sound of White Dog to old sods like your humble scribe who just keep on hearing echoes of their esteemed ancestors echoing through every chord they play, but to anyone of a more recent generation this is a new and fresh sound worthy of exploration. What makes this band so worth listening to is their energy and freshness, a vigour that just adds to the anticipation of hearing such sounds recreated live. I know that short of joining the most excellent Bill and Ted in their time machine I will never experience the raw newness of the Hiatt-Ashbury sound first hand, but by paying such respectful tribute to it, White Dog allows an entire new generation to connect with the vibe that was the bedrock of so much modern underground music.
(8.5/10 Spenny)
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