COMING BACK AGAIN

Those who follow SoT pretty closely might remember me gushing about the self-titled release from Brooklyn, New York based band The Golden Grass a few years back, which was easily one of the highlights from the always impressive Svart Records roster in 2014. The band now find themselves on Listenable Records for their follow-up, titled Coming Back Again, and the trio of Michael 'Professor Plum Brandy' Rafalowich (guitar, lead vocals), Adam "Adzo' Kriney (drums, lead vocals), and Frank 'The Fireball' Caira (bass) are once again firing on all cylinders here, delivering their lively brand of '70s styled hard rock mixed with some psychedelia and Southern rock for good measure. Listing influences such as Grand Funk Railroad, The James Gang, The Allman Brothers, Budgie, Blackfoot, Blue Cheer, The Move, and the Pretty Things, it's not hard to get swept up in the soulful, groove-laden yet heavy sounds that The Golden Grass have created here. Kick off track "Get it Together" has plenty of meaty riffs, addicting grooves, and those great two-part vocals harmonies, and both it and the following track "Reflections in the Grass" could have easily been a long lost tunes from any of Grand Funk's first few releases. "Shadow Traveler" rocks a bit harder and adds a bluesier element, like a midnight jam between Black Sabbath and Cactus, and contains some sizzling guitar riffs, harmonica, and wild drumming. The bluesy, acoustic guitar ditty "Hazy Daybreak" leads into the near 10-minute "Down the Line", a snarling, nasty hard rocker with plenty of atmospheric psych elements, and "See it Through" crawls with the bluesy proto-metal style of Cream of Mountain, guitar & bass battling it out over infectious grooves and catchy dual vocals. Coming Back Again is so much fun, a hard rocking retro ride that any fan of the classic heavy acts of the late '60s and early '70s will certainly fall head over heels for. Spread the word, The Golden Grass are the real deal, and this is some mandatory listening right here.