My Uncle the Wolf is probably the most derivative stoner rock/ metal band I’ve heard in a long time. The band has a huge Down syndrome, the vocalist at times sounds like a carbon copy of Phil Anselmo and at other times sounds a lot like Chris Cornell. The music is mostly a mixture of Down, CoC and Ultamega OK era Soundgarden. Jimmy Bower produced this album and played bass on it, so the band has a great sound and a big name on the credits but they offer nothing new or even remotely original.

The songs all either sound like Down or a mixture of CoC and early Soundgarden like I’ve already said. Now I don’t really have a problem with bands being derivative and wearing their influences on their sleeves but My Uncle the Wolf simply fail to project an identity of their own. It feels like you’re listening to a mediocre pub band where you’ve already heard all the best parts in the songs on far superior albums.

There is no real stand out tracks here but if I had a gun to my head then I’d pick Double Barrel Blues and A Siren’s Chorus as being a bit above the rest of the songs but again, Double Barrel Blues sounds like Down and A Siren’s Chorus sounds like a cheap imitation of Badmotorfinger with the vocalist doing an excellent impression of Chris Cornell.

Having got all of that out of the way, I have to say that My Uncle the Wolf is not the worst album you can come across in this genre. The band sound solid and are musically tight. They just need to find their own sound and stop imitating their betters. If your sole exposure to stoner rock/ metal comes from the Down albums then chances are you’ll find plenty to like here. However, if you think that Down is the Lowest Common Denominator of the stoner scene then My Uncle the Wolf will go lower.



Label - Cargo records
Year of Release - 2008