Robert Jon & The Wreck's 'Red Moon Rising' - Album Review

Discovering new bands is one of the things that keeps music interesting, and there is nothing better than getting into a band with a few albums already under their belt and just diving in. Sometimes this can feel a bit overwhelming, but the results are always worth it - and I do not think that I will ever tire of seeking out new things to listen to. With this in mind, then, one of my favourite recent discoveries has been the California-based southern rock five-piece Robert Jon & The Wreck. I had heard the name a couple of times prior to checking them out, but what prompted me to take the plunge was the announcement of their 2023 UK tour - which included a date locally to me. I knew that there was some buzz around the band, despite them not exactly being new, so I picked up a copy of 2021's Shine a Light on Me Brother - and I was essentially hooked from the off. Since then I have managed to get hold of all of the band's other studio albums, with the exception of their seemingly very rare debut album from 2011, and saw them kick of their 2023 UK tour in Exeter. As much as I enjoyed delving into the band's album's throughout last year, seeing them live was an even better experience. As is often the case with southern rock, the songs really came alive on stage - and the band rocked through a pretty lengthy set which included heartfelt vocals from founder and frontman Robert Jon Burrison and some blistering guitar firepower from Henry James Schneekluth. It was a fantastic show, which helped to promote last year's excellent Ride into the Light (which I reviewed here), and I will be seeing the band again when they return to the UK later this year - albeit this time in London. Given that the band's popularity really seems to have shot up in recent years, particularly here in Europe, they have been very busy on the road. They hardly ever seem to take a break, and are either playing in America somewhere or touring around Europe, so I was certainly not expecting to get another album from the band this year - particularly given that they released an album a year between 2018 and 2021, plus the aforementioned Ride into the Light last year. This is a band with a high work ethic, though, and clearly consisting of prolific songwriters, as last month they released their ninth studio album Red Moon Rising - after slowly releasing many of the songs from the album online over the past few months. Something similar had happened with Ride into the Light, which was essentially a collection of different songs recorded during a transition period for the band line-up-wise and over different sessions with different producers. Red Moon Rising feels like more of a 'proper' album, then, in the sense that it was recorded in one session with producer Kevin Shirley - and it is also the first album to feature the current line-up of the band throughout. Keyboard player Jake Abernathie plays throughout this time, after only featuring on a handful of songs on the previous album, whilst the line-up is rounded out by original drummer Andrew Espantman and long-time bassist Warren Murrel.

As with all of the band's previous albums, Red Moon Rising is characterised by a good mix of riffy southern rock, some bluesier numbers, ballads, and a hint of country. There are no real surprises here and the band play to their strengths - but this is no bad thing. The album kicks off with one of the most hard rocking pieces here in Stone Cold Killer. It opens with a jangly riff and the occasional slide accent from Schneekluth - and a simplified version of this pattern essentially grounds the whole song, with the verses whipping up a strong groove from the off. Murrel's bass gives the song plenty of weight, particularly during the verses, whilst the chorus ups the rock somewhat with barroom piano from Abernathie and a slightly tougher guitar tone. Despite being a southern rock band, I would not say that Robert Jon & The Wreck are one of the most barnstorming acts of the genre - generally opting for a more refined and smoother sound. This song is brasher than some of their material, then, but it helps to kick the album off in fine fashion - with the prominent piano giving the song an up-tempo bite whilst Schneekluth's blistering slide solo shows exactly what he brings to the band. The chorus is hooky with subtle gang vocals which will certainly be latched onto live and the energy whipped up throughout gets the album underway nicely. Trouble, which follows and was co-written by former guitarist Kristopher Butcher, is another rocker - but the pace has been slowed down and a grooving attitude is present throughout. In many ways, the song is a quintessential piece of southern rock - with a groovy, bluesy riff driving everything whilst occasional washes of Hammond organ add gravity. Robert Jon & The Wreck are sometimes compared to Blackberry Smoke and the two bands have toured together in the past. Blackberry Smoke are more country-influenced I would say, but this song reminds me a bit of Blackberry Smoke's heavier sound - albeit with a heftier dose of keyboards. Robert Jon & The Wreck often go all-in when it comes to keyboards, which I welcome, and the roaring organ here really adds an extra dimension to the snarling riffing - whilst another hooky chorus ticks plenty of boxes. Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man is, unsurprisingly, a slower song - but it still opens with a pretty dark-sounding riff, which again features lots of slide melodies. The verses are much more restrained, though, with acoustic guitar chords dominating whilst Abernathie adds some Led Zeppelin-esque electric piano melodies. I am not sure that I would call the song a true ballad, as it feels too hard-hitting in places to be one, but it certainly treads a more emotional path overall - and the arrangement is more diverse, with the acoustic-led sections sitting nicely side-by-side with a Hammond-drenched chorus and some other moments which are much more riff-heavy. Schneekluth adds a screaming solo to the song, too, and the song is a great mix of the band's weighty riffing and Burrison's heartfelt, organic songwriting.

The album's title track follows and the song goes for something more of a cinematic feel - with an expansive mid-paced drum and bass groove driving everything, whilst spacey electric piano and effects-heavy guitar stabs dominate. The opening riff is not as busy as some of the others here but it creates a surprisingly heavy atmosphere - and this is continued throughout. The riffing is not ever-present throughout, either, but the punch of Espantman's drums and the busy bass playing of Murrel give the song plenty of weight. The drums really kick through the speakers during the verses, and actually hold the attention more than the varied guitar effects used, whilst a later funky instrumental section sees plenty of riffing variety from Burrison and Schneekluth in a more guitar-heavy passage - before a more progressive rock-inspired guitar solo takes over. The song is a little different from the norm, then, but the wide soundscape the song creates still feels very southern - it just feels a little bigger and more psychedelic than usual. Dragging Me Down returns to a sound which is more typical for the band, though, with the track going for a much bluesier sound overall. It is another rocker, but it generally does not feel as hard rocking as some of the others here - albeit with the chorus upping the toughness a little with some grittier guitar tones. Elsewhere, though, the song feels more old-school and 1970s-inspired with a southern rock meets British blues boom sound. Some of the guitar riffs and passages here sound inspired by bands like Free rather than Lynyrd Skynyrd - although the overall grooves are still very much American in nature. Schneekluth's solo is very bluesy, too, whilst a slightly slower later bridge section shows more of a British influence with a brief use of Mellotron. There is still plenty of the band's usual southern rock strut, though, but the heavier focus on the blues is welcome - and it helps the song to stand out somewhat. Hold On, though, is very much Robert Jon & The Wreck 101. I personally think that the band have improved over the years, with the recent albums better than their older albums - but the band have been writing tracks like this since essentially the beginning. The main riff is a great example of the southern rock genre condensed into one musical passage - whilst the use of occasional Hammond swells to accent the heavier parts of the riff is a real trademark of the band. There is also quite a bit of slide guitar in the mix, too, something which Schneekluth really excels at. His slide playing is exemplary and, whilst he does not go all-out with the slide here, the accents of such during the verses are welcome. Throw in an upbeat and well-harmonised chorus and the song is a great example of the band's core sound which would be a great entry point for new listeners.

Down No More is the first true country rocker on the album. There is generally quite a bit of a country influence in Robert Jon & The Wreck's music - but I would not say that they go all-out for such a sound too often. This song is very much country inspired, though, with a much more laid back overall feel with plenty of acoustic guitar and subtle percussion in the mix. Unlike many of the other songs here, too, the riffing is less hard-hitting. The guitars here generally are more lead-based and melodic than riffy - and there are some great melodies on display throughout, including a few moments of twin-lead guitar harmonies. Delicate piano and occasional less gritty moments of organ provide some additional atmosphere, whilst there is also a more prominent use of harmony vocals - particularly during the chorus - which is a classic country trope. The harmony guitar leads and the focus on melody links back to the band's core southern rock sound, but overall the song just feels much more of a country piece than anything else on the album so far - with an organic feel that is welcome. Help Yourself continues on this vibe somewhat, albeit within a heavier context. The song is much riffier than the previous track, with some cutting opening slide melodies, but it retains a sparser overall mix - giving the song a country twang which is later built upon by some lengthy and melodic guitar lead sections. Unlike the previous song, though, the balance between southern rock and country is more finely-struck. This feels like a true old-school southern rock piece - with the dominant barroom piano from Abernathie really cutting through the mix whilst country-esque vocal melodies and harmonies tie to track back to the previous song here. There is still plenty of groove despite the sparser mix, too, and the track is one that does well with all of its disparate influences to create something warm yet rocking. Worried Mind is another which includes plenty of country influences - and it is easily the most country-sounding track on the album so far. It took the album a little while to showcase the band's country side, but the back end of this album certainly goes for it a bit more - and this track is the slowest on the album up to this point with acoustic guitars and piano essentially forming the basis of the track throughout - whilst the bass and some subtle percussion adds a little bit of depth. There is mournful harmonica in the mix, too, but it is used sparingly to add accents to some moments for effect. Schneekluth throws in a delicate guitar solo, too, and dominates the closing moments of the song with some bluesy playing, but generally the song is a warm ballad with Burrison's heartfelt vocals sitting against a backdrop of organic guitar and piano - and the song is a long way from the riffy pieces found earlier on the album.

The LP and digital versions of the album come to a close with the slow-burning Give Love - a song which grows against the backdrop of a drum groove and piano motif. Co-written by former keyboard player Steve Maggiora, like the previous handful of songs there are country tinges to be found here but the song feels more like a return to the more cinematic and psychedelic sounds of the album's title track - but with less tough riffing and more of an expansive soundscape-esque approach. That being said, though, there are moments which feel tougher - and the song does grow in stature quite considerably as it moves along. The prominent drum groove never really changes, with the band swirling around it at differing levels of intensity, with the occasional heavier guitar chord kicking in as the song progresses - whilst later sections feature some Allman Brothers-esque guitar harmonies and plenty of choral vocals. It is a slightly strange song to explain, then, but it is varied and memorable for the way it slowly transitions throughout - with the piano tying everything together nicely. The CD versions of the album come with two extra songs, though, with Rager adding some additional weight to the end of the album. The album's tougher pieces generally feature during its first half - but this song is another big rocker with a barrelling hard rock riff and plenty of growling Hammond organ. It is a song which harks back to the brashness of Stone Cold Killer - and it is another hard-hitting southern rocker which recalls the heavier end of the genre and bands like Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet. Unlike a lot of the band's songs, too, there is not a lot of slide guitar featured this time. Instead the song is much more riffy and knotty from a guitar perspective, with the organ instead perhaps filling the gaps which would have been filled by the slide elsewhere. It perhaps includes Schneekluth's more explosive soloing on the album, too. Again there is no slide to be seen, with his soloing being fast-paced, frantic, and full of hard rock grit. He has two lengthy solos here, one part-way through and one at the end, with both being excellent. The album comes to an end proper, though, with Hate to See You Go - another country-inspired piece which mixes organic acoustic guitar passages with big piano melodies and slide guitar motifs. All of this is wrapped up in a pretty infectious mid-paced groove, though, with the track still retaining plenty of the band's rockier trademarks. This is no true ballad, then, despite some slower moments - but overall the song is a real classic-sounding Robert Jon & The Wreck piece that mixes country elements like harmony vocals and acoustic instruments with some cutting slide guitar moments and a steady southern rock groove thanks to the rhythm section and the barroom piano. It ends the album in fine melodic fashion, then, with one last strong chorus to stick in the brain. Given how prolific this band have been over the years, it is great that they have managed to keep the quality consistent. The band have not released a bad album, although I do generally prefer the more recent albums to the older ones, and this latest release is no different. It feels more cohesive than the last album, which is not a surprise given how the previous one was recorded, with a good mix of all of the band's different shades - with the harder rock tracks early in the album particularly standing out.

The album was released on 28th June 2024 via Journeyman Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Ballad of a Broken Hearted Man.