BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – V

RELEASE YEAR: 2024
BAND URL: https://blackcountrycommunion.com/

Very few if any hard rock acts that I can think of deserve the “super group” tag as much as the awe-inspiring Black Country Communion do, which comes down to the simple facct that not many star-studded constellations of musicians have released such stellar outputs as Joe Bonamasa, Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, and Derek Sherinian have. The funny thing is that whenever they put a new record out, I feel like it is their best work yet, which merely goes to show that they consistently craft great material that blows me away. Their fifth one will be out in June, and it does not disappoint. Brimming with raw power, muscular riffs, stunning vocals, and that uniquely organic atmosphere that only these four chaps are capable of summoning, its ten tracks deliver finesse and grit as well as emotional impact and stomp. You can hardly resist whistling or humming such tunes as the massively groovy ‘Red Sun’, the heartfelt and epic ‘Restless’, and the infectious ‘Too Far Gone’ after the very first spin, and they strike a great balance between subtlety and heaviness. It does not hurt that the first-class production brings all the nuances of the playing and that lovely crunch of Bonamasa’s guitar to the fore. Yes, this one is the real deal, but then again, I say that exact same thing every time these gentlemen put out a new LP, which is testament to just how outstanding this collective of musicians is.     

No one can top the legendary Hughes when he is at the top of his game, but you could say the very same thing about Bonamassa, Bonham, and Sherinian too. Simply put, V is a fresh and powerful album by a remarkable group of musical visionaries. You need this one.