Black Spiders are back at last. A decade on from their formidable debut album, ‘Sons of the North‘, and eight years after its equally well-received successor, ‘This Savage Land’, the band have finally returned with their latest – and best – album to date: the self-titled ‘Black Spiders‘.
Back in June 2017, Sheffield rock beasts Black Spiders waved goodbye to an army of loyal fans with some sonically charged shows at London’s House Of Vans and Sheffield’s Corporation before retreating into the shadows to lick their wounds and shed their skins.
And then, in November 2020, with the world in the grips of the Coronavirus pandemic and after a long year of very little fun and even less rocking, from out of the silhouettes they returned with 'Fly In The Soup’, the first new Black Spiders music in six years. And it felt good. Just under four-minutes of prime riff-crammed rock action, a stadium filler waiting to happen, and exactly the feel-good shot in the arm the world needed.
Now they’ve released a self-titled album, with thirteen tracks of high-energy rock n’roll. As vocalist/guitarist Pete Spiby himself says:
“We knew the new album had to be special. We’ve been away for a while. The first album was a straight shot, the second on the rocks, with this new one we had to kick down the brewery doors!”
From the first bars of album opener ‘Fly In The Soup‘, it’s clear that this album is going to be a no-holds-barred classic rockfest. The thirteen tracks are packed with rattling riffs and soaring solos, barely giving you time to catch your breath.
Standout tracks include the proggy ‘Wizard Shall Not Kill Wizard‘, which blends great vocals with skilful instrumentals, capped off with a glorious guitar solo, the nostalgia-inducing retro feel of ‘No Luck No Bones‘, and the sheer energy of ‘Good Times‘, which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at live gigs.
‘Crooked Black Wings‘, which brings the album to a close, also deserves special mention. At almost seven minutes, it’s the album’s longest track and as such it gives the band room to display the full range of what they can do. It’s a wonderfully varied track, it’s numerous twists and turns demanding your attention throughout, never sure of what’s coming next. It’s a superb track, and a fantastic climax to an outstanding album.
Black Spiders have made a welcome return with their best work yet, delivering an album that's bursting at the seams with great rock n' roll.
