Scorpion Child

Scorpion Child

Written by: BV on 10/09/2013 09:45:27

The musical approach of Austin-based Scorpion Child is one that seems all too familiar at this point. Following in the path of label mates Witchcraft, Graveyard and Kadavar (to name a few), Scorpion Child seems to thrive in the world of riff-driven rock n’ roll led by a powerful voice and a (presumably) charismatic frontman – think mid 1970’s Led Zeppelin to get the most apt description available at this point.

As far as Led Zeppelin goes, Scorpion Child do seem to be mightily inspired by that exact quartet on their opening track “Kings Highway” which, in the chorus especially, sounds like something that could easily have made the cut as a late 70’s Zeppelin release – which, in turn, leaves me a bit indifferent at this point as they do come off as a tad too inspired by the greats of this particular decade. However, with the following track, “Polygon of Eyes”, Scorpion Child deliver the goods with a distinctly memorable riff that leans on the general 70’s vibe whilst retaining a highly unique sound that seems to be inspired by a plethora of great riffs, thus making a distinct influence hard to pinpoint here. – All this is supplemented by an authentic and, most of all, powerful vocal performance that leaves the lyric “I live on the mountain / and dream of the open sky / a time sent event horizon / will leave our stories behind” stuck firmly in my head.

As the album goes on, the distinct sound has gained a firm position in the songwriting. Yet, somehow, the album goes on to become slightly less interesting than what is the case with the cuts “Polygon of Eyes” and “Kings Highway”. With “Liquor”, Scorpion Child seems fueled by already overused ideas as the song’s theme contains the ever-so-used substance abuse approach. Pair this with a riff that contains all the boogieing 70’s swagger you can handle and you’ve essentially got yourself a decent bundle of rock clichés packed into a slightly less interesting track than the likes of “Polygon of Eyes” or the equally memorable “Salvation Slave”. Nonetheless, if "Liquor" is a ‘low-point’ of the album, then it’s safe to say that Scorpion Child are setting a fairly high standard for themselves as “Liquor” isn’t a bad cut at all, it just seems to be less interesting than the vast majority of other cuts on the album.

In short, it seems rather inaccurate to label Scorpion Child as ‘yet another’ 70’s revival band living high and mighty on the retro-wave. In fact, Scorpion Child seem to have gotten to a point where they have blended the classic riffs of the 70’s with a far more modern sounding approach, thus positioning them closer to Mos Generator and the latest Witchcraft album, rather than just throwing them on to the disturbingly massive pile of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath clones out there. This is nothing short of a solid first effort that bodes strikingly well for future releases.

8

Download: Polygon of Eyes, Antioch, Salvation Slave
For The Fans Of: Led Zeppelin, Mos Generator, Witchcraft, Graveyard
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 21.06.2013
Nuclear Blast Records


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