Written by: John Porter
Band:
Album Title:
Release Date:
Preacher Stone
V
29th March 2024
On their fifth album, and first in seven years, Preacher Stone immediately set out to prove the power of their straight-ahead, no-nonsense Southern rock and roll.
Opening trio Hard Life PhD, My My My and Ain’t As Easy As It Looks are an excellent portend for the rest of the album – the rhythm section, led by bassist Jim Bolt and the solid power of Wyatt, take control from the off, setting a pace akin to the accelerator being welded down in a Lamborghini, while Marty Hill’s lead guitar takes that cue and adds some fiery, catchy riffs to immediately engage the listener.
It’s a high octane opening, that’s for sure. You’d be forgiven for expecting a potential one-note power rock thrill ride after that opening, but, in a theme that runs prevalent throughout the album, Preacher Stone show themselves to be thoughtful, deep rockers at the most surprising points – fourth track Till We Meet Again is one of the highlights of the album. It’s a tremendous song, mixing a quiet start driven by heartfelt lyrics and a gorgeous guitar line in the opening half with Guns N’ Roses style bombast in the second to produce a song that sounds like an epic taken out of the Monsters Of Rock era. Hill stands out here again in the latter half of the song, playing a tremendous guitar solo that truly elevates an already great song even further.
Whether it’s by experience or something similar, Preacher Stone show great ability to make the epic pass quickly – on the aforementioned track, they achieve this feel despite a running time of only four minutes (something to learn from, Axl?), but they continue this even on the longer tracks with both Horse To Water and Rise Up never feeling overblown or a chore of a listen despite clocking in weighty running times around the 5 and 6 minute marks.
Throughout the entire album they craft listenable songs seemingly with impunity, and it never becomes a dull or one-note listen
Once again, though, they switch things up and get punchier in the second half of the album – after the above two tracks, they throw together two tracks that could’ve been alt-rock hits on any radio station in the last two decades, starting with the drum-led stop-start rhythm of Dance With The Devil, where frontman Ronnie Riddle croons a warning about falling for temptations with a Black Stone Cherry-like confidence and swagger, followed by Rain Or Shine, a more riff-heavy track that feels like a genuine sing-a-long from the get go, and could make a great single.
By the time of the coda, Home, you’ve listened to a truly powerful album, and one of the best I’ve heard so far this year. Sometimes as a rock band, particularly a Southern Rock band, it’s easy to fall into pastiche and cliché, but Preacher Stone definitely don’t have this problem. The fact that much of this album is so fresh and listenable despite the obvious echoes of their influences is in itself testament to the variety and quality of their sound. Throughout the entire album they craft listenable songs seemingly with impunity, and it never becomes a dull or one-note listen. Crack out the beers, fire up the barbecue, and enjoy a proper rock and roll party.
Band Members
Ronnie Riddle – Vocals
Marty Hill – Lead Guitar
Ben Robinson – Guitar
Jim Bolt – Bass
Wyatt – Drums
Track Listing
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Hard Life PhD
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My, My, My
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Ain’t As Easy As It Looks
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Till We Meet Again
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Horse To Water
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Damage Is Done
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Rise Up
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Dance With The Devil
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Rain Or Shine
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Home