Aside from Mott The Hoople and three of the original Pretenders Hereford, UK is probably better known for its cattle than it is its rock music but that does not mean that there is a dearth of aspiring rockers to be found in the city. One such Hereford based band hoping to make their mark on the world are Mudlarker, Tom Berrow (vocals); Marc Jones (bass); Elliott Crosby (drums) and Dave Knott (guitar), a band who pitch their grooves somewhere between current era stoner rock and metal and 70's classic rock. Some out there may remember the band from their moderately well received 2023 self-titled release "Mudlarker" but if you are one of those that missed out do not worry because you have the chance to make up for that oversight by giving their follow up "Radio Silence" a spin, a far more dynamically robust musical affair that sees Mudlarker combining their growl with an added element of bite!
Title track "Radio Silence" kicks things off in style with raucous and ragged guitar riffage crunching out over a solid and uncomplicated bass and drum groove all of which is accompanied by strong clean but raw and throaty vocals that tell a sci-fi themed tale of abandonment and isolation, a truly ass-kicking number to start an album with. "Leviathan" follows and starts with wind effects and feedback then erupts into a dark and dank doomic groove that has just the merest hint of bluesiness in its attack that bluesiness further reflected in the meter and tone of its gritty vocal and piercing but tasteful guitar solos, however at the songs mid way mark the song suddenly shifts into proto-doom territory with chugging Sabbath-esque refrains holding sway over up-tempo rhythms, the songs vocal here a little more forceful and insistent. The bluesy aspects of the preceding track are given a slightly bigger platform on next track "Godshead" but gradually move up to more heavier torch-like dynamic as the song evolves while "The Persistence" makes no pretence at being anything other than thunderous and doomic. Up next is "Dreadnaught (impending ruin)" a brief but quite effective semi-instrumental with rumbling rhythmic underbelly over which drone-like guitar effects and a remote mantra like vocal create a feeling of otherworldliness. That mantra-like vocal resurfaces again in "Cruisership" along with a heavily distorted bass line and militaristic drumming, the guitar work here is circular and slurred and works well in that it gives the song a spinning off centred and out of control feel. Mudlarker opt for more traditional four to the floor heavy metal dynamics for the first half of "Reaver" but then slide into low'n'slow stoner doom territory for the second half of the song. Now we did mention, in the opening piece to this review, that Mudlarker count among their influences 70's classic rock and next song "River" is them fully immersed in that genre, bluesy guitar tones, bouncy bass and chunky drumming supporting a soulful clean and powerful vocal, there is not a trace of stoner or doom to found anywhere on this number. For their final song, "Empyrean" Mudlarker go epic, not so much in length more in feel, a sprawling and atmospheric tome with a superb vocal that builds layer by layer until it reaches a peak and then finally fades out on waves of dissonant and droning guitar, a fittingly strong finish to seriously strong album.
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