boWsER - Whispers From the Wicker Man (Self-Released)

Australia’s hard rock trio boWsER have just released their sophomore album earlier this month entitled Whispers From the Wicker Man. The band plays no nonsense riff-heavy rock n roll in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters, but as one can guess from the album artwork they throw in a generous helping of apocalyptic themes for good measure. Released more than a decade after their first mini LP Modus Operandi, it would be an understatement to say this album is long-awaited, but thankfully that time was not wasted as Whispers From the Wicker Man finds the group more focused and tighter than ever.

Like a volcano erupting, the album immediately grabs you by surprise with the full throttle darkness of “Renegade,” and the sheer force of the band doesn’t relent once over the eleven songs here. Many of the tracks have quasi-funk grooves like “Chemicals” and “Killed a Roman,” but it always plays second fiddle to the melodic wall of metal-influenced guitar riffs that is the clear jumping off point for each song. They may not be the heaviest group in the scene, but boWsER more than compensate for this with their literary sense of lyricism and the inherently catchy nature of their melodies. Whispers From the Wicker Man is one of the more unexpected hard rock releases of the year, but it is sure to remind fans why the group first caused a stir all those years ago.