'Death Ride' was a fairly lengthy affair but this one is just a mere 39 minutes which gives the album even more of a vintage vinyl aura about it. If you have never heard the band, shame on you but if the likes of Deep Purple, early ZZ Top and Mountain is your idea of a good time then this band is a no brainer. So good are BOTS that they in many respects beat those 70's giants at their own game. With glorious keyboard sounds, meaty riffs, irresistible vocal melodies and top-shelf production, this album is a triumph on all counts. The opener 'Let It Roll' does indeed get the ball rolling with an energetic bouncy riff. St Holmes has been replaced with John O’Daniel for this album and that is perhaps the albums biggest surprise, all I can say is where has this man been hiding. Of course he and guitarist Rusty Burns are from the southern rock band Point Blank but I never realized how great these people are. 'Let It Roll' has amazing killer hooks but you will soon discover so does every other track as well.
The title track follows 'Let It Roll' with the glorious Hammond organ really asserting itself in all its majestic beauty and throbbing power. Not since Jon Lord has the Hammond organ sounded so juicy and meaty. The guitar work is very Blackmoreish but without the wanky classical touches, the guitar work is in a more bluesy vein than what old blackers was famous for. If a band must have a certain chemistry to succeed then Blood of the Sun must have it by the bucket load. The keys and guitar bounce off each other constantly not so much in a battle for the limelight but to serve the songs as much as possible. You want headbanging riffs? Then tracks like 'Can't Stop my Heart' and the cowbell laced 'Brings Me Down' deliver the goods. 'Bring Me Down' is the albums most modern passage but that comment is a stretch on my part, this is totally a mid 70's hard rock burner all the way.
If titles like 'Rock Your Station' and 'Good Feeling' sound like something made for classic rock radio then wait to you hear the actual songs. Incredibly catchy these songs are but devoid of any of the pure cheese that plagues many a retro band. 'The Snitch' and the Wino led Good and Evil close the album in a powerful all meat and potatoes kick ass style, full of energy and with the guitar and keys kicking up a storm while O'Daniel continues his powerhouse vocal performance. There is not much you can say about this except to say that for 70's hard rock sounds, Blood of the Sun are as good as it gets. Their influences are obvious but not once do you get the feeling you have heard it all before. The freshness of the material plus the organic approach makes this an album of the very highest quality.....the kind of album you can and will listen to forever. If something sounds timeless the first time you hear it, then you know you got something special playing on the stereo and 'Burning on the Wings of Desire' has it all and more.....10/10.
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