Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Joyous Wolf, Roadrunner Records 2019.
Place in Time is the debut extended EP for Californian heavy rock band Joyous Wolf and it presages good things to come for lovers of the genre.
The seven-track EP presents a young band that really knows how to play and are united in their vision to stick to what they love and what the fans want.
Their hard driving approach has won over a legion of fans, many of whom have claimed that the band has restored their faith in music and assured the future of rock.
This is a big claim but it really gives testament to the power of Joyous Wolf’s live performances.
Many of the fans have followed the band from their inception when they played small venues, sometimes to half a dozen listeners or fewer, so they’re rusted on and committed.
The Joyous Wolf sound is a mixture of the heavy riffing of Led Zeppelin mixed with the drive of Alice In Chains and intense energy and passion of Rage Against The Machine.
The band self-describes it as ‘angry blues’.
After releasing a couple of singles they came to the notice of Roadrunner A&R man Dave Rath when they played the Aftershock Festival, sharing the stage with luminaries such as Ozzy Osbourne, Nine Inch Nails, Eagles Of Death Metal and other famous bands.
Rath was blown away with the band’s individual musicality and the stage presence of front man Nick Reese.
He signed them up on 5 March and the band immediately went into the studio to record this disc.
And here is the reward for their hard work and perseverance.
Lead guitarist Blake Allard recently signed an endorsement deal with D’Angelico Guitars and the band have departed on a full tour of the American Festival Circuit from April to July.
It goes to show that dreams do come true, at least for the chosen few.
