Sydney, Australia's Wolfmother make their much anticipated return with Cosmic Egg, their follow up to their 2005 self-titled debut. The album conatins much of the same 70's vintage hard rock era sound that made their debut so successful among fans and critics, and took listeners back to a time when rock music was teetering on the edge of breaking new ground with new musical ideas that were never thought of before.

The album starts off with "California Queen", a midtempo, arena rocker with frontman Andrew Stockdale's vocals pouring out with unbridled passion and power, and gives the listener an idea of what the band hopes to accomplish on this album. The album's first single "New Moon Rising", is a blasting and heavy tune, reminiscent of early-era Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, with heavy guitar riffs and drums pounding with agressive energy. "White Feather" is a catchy, midtempo tune that gives a little hint of variety for the listener who might be looking for specific musical characteristics that will satisfy their palette.

Moving along to the rest of the album, "In The Morning" is a toned down affair with soft guitar riffs and chunks of melodic undertones. On this track, Andrew sounds like he's trying to channel Robert Plant into the song. Some music critics think Wolfmother is a complete ripoff of late 60's early 70's rock bands, but I tend to disagree because while they do borrow certain elements from that era, they make that sound their own to make it seem current today. "10,000 Feet" is a steady, melodic opus with a combo of guitars and drums omnipresent throughout the song. The album's title track is a great exmaple of Wolfmother's vintage throwback sound with melodic guitars, rhythmic drums, and powerful vocals that show that Wolfmother is a force to be reckoned with and a band that will play the music they want to on their own terms, and not someone else's.

My favorite track off the album is "Pilgrim", a pounding and melodic number that shows off all their influences in one amazing track and gives the listener everything they could ask for, explosive vocals, steady guitar riffs, and furious drums all in one unique package for the listener to enjoy and play relentlessly to their heart's desire.

All in all, a terrific album from an ambitious and well-rounded group. The group had a lineup shuffle recently as their original keyboardist and drummer quit shortly before production on this album commensed and they had to be replaced. It doesn't seem that this lineup change has affected this album in any way, the music speaks for itself in this case, and the band would be quick to agree on that point.

                                                                                                                                                     Album Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:

1. California Queen


2. New Moon Rising


3. White Feather


4. Sundial


5. In the Morning


6. 10,000 Feet


7. Cosmic Egg


8. Far Away


9. Pilgrim


10. In the Castle


11. Phoenix


12. Violence of the Sun