On the self-titled debut from Black Stone Cherry, four from the middle-of-nowhere Kentuckians display how to inject modern rock and metal influences into the tried-and-true southern rock format.
The group, taking their obvious southern backbone, sounds like a crossbreed of Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC and Stone Temple Pilots that has merged unfaithfully with the bad ‘90s era Corrosion of Conformity.
With lead vocalist Chris Robertson’s Chris Cornell inspired delivery, BSC begs for post-grunge comparisons; and yet somehow the group is able to turn from them. This is due to their aggressive power riffing and nu-metal styled choruses that fit snuggly into the metal school of things. With songs like “Backwoods Gold” and “Lonely Train,” BSC show this amazing originality. Just when it seems like a gentile rip, something changes and a new wrinkle is added.
The album continues in this way, as each song is distinguishable from the other. Whether its blues “Drive,” southern “Crosstown Woman,” metal “Rain Wizard” or anything in-between “Shapes of Things,” BSC keeps it fresh and unpredictable throughout.
