Alex Maas sound an awful lot like both John Fogerty and Jim Morrison – he has Fogerty's distinct southern twang, and Morrison's half-crazed, whiskey drinking badass thing too. Guitarists Nate Ryan and Christian Bland churn out some swampy as hell blues riffs worthy of a Creedence track, and there's also some nice wah-wah madness at play as well. The drummer is heavy and plodding, pounding out some serious Bonham beats.
Later in the album, there's a psychedelic energy at work, sounding a bit like The Velvet's "All Tomorrow's Parties" brand of droning eastern mysticism. Or the "Waiting For The Man" vibe of closing track "Call To Arms" where Maas's voice even sounds like Lou Reed's: nasal and spitting fire.
I’ve also got to take a minute to mention the outrageous album cover – a seriously cool op-art sixties aesthetic is combined with complex embossing to create artwork that is striking on both a visual and tactile level. As talented as the band’s guitarist Christian Bland may be on his instrument, with a graphic design talent like his he might be well advised to switch careers.
Passover is a superb slice of kickass rock and roll music. A must for all you fans of Black Mountain and all those other like-minded bands that sound like they stepped right out of rock's golden age.
