The Muggs
Self Titled
Times Beach Records
CD/DVD Reviews
Review By
Nightwatcher
Here's one for all of you that are into early Led Zep, Mountain, Humble Pie etc. On their debut self titled album, The Muggs channel the Hammer of the Gods from the get go, exploding onto the scene with absolutely authentic, blues inspired boogie rock that's guaranteed to rock your socks off. This power trio from Detroit Rock City definitely have the goods and then some, and if this were the 70's these guys would be headlining arenas instead of slugging it out in local clubs, truly stadium rock trapped in a club just waiting to burst out.
From the opening track "Need Ya Baby," which sounds like a long lost outtake from 'Led Zeppelin I', you get the feeling that this is going to be something special, and your suspicions are right on the money. Right away it's quite apparent that guitarist Danny Methric is a guitar hero in the grand tradition of Page, Blackmore and Peter Frampton circa 'Live At The Fillmore', grinding out monolithic riffs which get into your head and just won't go away, while his lead work is absolutely incredible, infusing every song with a timeless quality which is reminiscent of a time when heavy rock really mattered. After assaulting your senses with the opener, they proceed to tear into an inspired cover of Muddy Waters' "Gonna Need My Help," only this time these amps go all the way to 11. Never missing a beat, we get treated to "Rollin' B-Side Blues," whereupon the band brings an early AC/DC vibe to the proceedings, before ripping through "Monster," which true to its name, is a standout track on an album filled with such tracks, starting off as a heavy riff rocker before morphing into a more meditative piece at the end. "Should've Learned My Lesson" follows with more Zep boogie, sounding during the verses almost like the bastard child of "Black Dog" before taking off towards the sun, and almost reaching it, Methric's psychedelic slide work taking the song to another level completely. "White Boy Blues" follows, a hyper frenetic slab of boogie rock that would, if it were once again the early 70's, given Alvin Lee a run for his money. The band sneaks in some Hammond into "Hard Love," which compliments the heavy riffs of this exemplary track perfectly, giving it practically an early Santana like presence, only Santana were never this heavy. "Said & Done" takes the listener down to the Delta before coming straight back into the city on an Amtrak, featuring an extended guitar work out from Methrick, then if that weren't enough they segue into an incredible version of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac instrumental classic "Underway," only this time around redone in the style of The James Gang's "The Bomber," drummer Matt Rost driving the proceedings much like Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, while bassist Tony Denardo holds the bottom end down with style and finesse, while Methric takes off towards the heavens in a Hendrix like way. Somewhere Jimi must be smiling over this one."If You Please" takes a riff "borrowed" from Zep's "How Many More Times" and makes something completely different, yet familar at the same time, and is yet another of a succession of killer riff rockers. "Doc Mode" finishes the album in high style, the band firing on all cylinders, classic early 70's styled psychedelic heavy rock that takes off one last time up into the stratosphere, and we're once again treated to an extended Methric workout that's mind blowing to say the least.
Everything on display here is perfect. From the songwriting, playing to the production this is spot on, and if you're a fan of classic heavy bands from the early 70's run, don't walk to your local record store and order this one right away, or better still, go directly from this review and purchase it online.Trust me, you'll thank me that you did, it's really that good. In fact, this is an excellent album, in my opinion, what The Muggs have created here is a strong contender for album of the year, and quite possibly the decade as well. 5/5
