It always makes an album just a little more intriguing when outlets, reviewers and even record companies fail to agree on the actual musical style of a band. And these descriptions can vary quite a lot. Case in point is American four piece Worshipper. Indeed, I was personally rather non-committal when I reviewed their debut for Ave Noctum way back in 2016. Third album in, and the task isn’t getting any easier, but if melodic, hard-edged groovy heaviness is of interest to you, Worshipper are certainly worth your time, so I’ll start there and try and elaborate.
Worshipper have a retro vibe, with much to interest the heavy psych fans out there. Equally there is a good chunk of classic hard rock and 70’s/early 80’s Metal about their sound too. Additionally there is more than a trace of classic Doom Rock/Metal in the mix too. The great thing is, Worshipper blend it all together, add in a bit more of whatever they feel like, lob in some very catchy vocal melodies for good measure and find themselves with another very interesting, very enjoyable album.
Take the first four tracks for instance – opener ‘Heroic Dose’ has more than a whiff of 90’s era Trouble to it, whilst maintaining a heavy 70’s feel throughout. ‘Windowpane’ also has that 70’s feel, but also really reminds me of Heavy Psych band Bigelf on more than one occasion. ‘Keep This’ and ‘Only Alive’ introduce sprinkles of Metallers Sheavy, but the latter also incorporates a trippy keyboard section that reminds me of Horisont. After that there’s anything from Blue Oyster Cult, nods to classic NWOBHM, Spiritual Beggars and beyond as the band write riff-driven, catchy songs (both musically and vocally) that go where they go, unrestrained by labels and genres.
This is a band whose individual members sound so at ease with each other, which I guess a stable line-up since 2014 will help with. The vocals suit the heavy music perfectly, with their laid-back mid-range delivery. The drums and bass are a perfect basis for those chunky twin guitar riffs to strut their stuff. There’s a freedom to Worshipper, as well as the ability to appeal to so many different music fans, the key to which is that enviable ability to pen a memorable, punchy Hard Rock/Metal tune – and there’s eight damn fine examples to enjoy right here on “One Way Trip”.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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