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ADMIRAL SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVELL "The Trouble With The Shovell"
ADMIRAL SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVELL "The Trouble With The Shovell"
By Dr. Abner Mality
It's been seven years since the ADMIRAL last docked at Wormwood Pier...or anywhere, for that matter. I for one am glad to see them back in action and still playing the same boozy, woozy proto-metal that they always have. If you've had it up to here with modern production, deathcore and rap-infused djent, SHOVELL is a sure cure.
They still sound like something from 1972 even with new drummer Glenn Stebbings in tow. Think of SAVOY BROWN, SIR LORD BALTIMORE and all those obscure heavy blues hard rockers from the days between Woodstock and disco. Now I have to admit that "The Trouble With The Shovell" is kind of rote and offers nothing new, but then why would you expect it to? Wrap your ears around the fat and juicy riff of "Laughing Gravy" and prepare to spend the next few minutes floating away on clouds of warm nostalgia.
It's all heavy, man, even with traces of acid rock and 60's Britrock mixed in. Johnny Gorilla's vocals waver between Lemmy-type gruffness and the kind of smooth sound of old Britrock bands. Everything sounds coated in natural fuzz and crackle. I like the raucous energy of "A Better Day" and "First City Seconds" as well as "Kind Boy" with some SWEET overtones, but it's the long jamming groove of "Blue Mountain Dust" with its killer riffs that strikes hardest.
To be honest, this is not my favorite SHOVELL record...that will always be "Don't Hear It, Fear It", but it stays true to the simple SHOVELL credo and should disappoint none of the ADMIRAL's admirers.
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