It’s been a particularly gruelling few years for former flavour of the month Wolfmother. Band members left, they became victims of the ever cruel rumour mill, and when they didn’t emerge with a sequel to 2005’s self-titled debut quick-sharp, the ever fickle finger of fame eventually pointed elsewhere. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, as after four years of uncertainty they’re finally back with an album that, to all intents and purposes, is exactly the same as their previous effort, only, y’know, heavier.
The most startling thing about Cosmic Egg isn’t the distinctly Marmite-esque vocals of lead warbler Andrew Stockdale or even the questionable artwork, it’s how loud everything sounds. Clearly keen to show off their three new musicians, the Aussie rock revivalists bludgeon us over the head with some admittedly tasty Kyuss inspired riffage, but sadly the songs just don’t gel. ‘White Feather’ is an endless barrage of heavy metal thunder, ‘California Queen’s constant stops and starts are needless and the vocals of Stockdale eventually become a little too O.T.T. for this writer. While Cosmic Egg will please the faithful, it is unlikely to win them the legions of new fans they need.