The Quill - Tiger Blood

Swedish rockers The Quill aren't another retro band, they're the real deal, bro. Winning!No doubt many are guilty of pigeon-holing Swedish hard rockers The Quill as being another band riding the retro craze - as am I. But as it turns out, The Quill have been doing their thing since the 90s. And their sound is really more accurately compared to classic bands of that era like The Cult. "But those bands are still basically doing a Black Sabbath/Led Zeppelin thing!" Right, I know, but there's a big difference between the retro thing and being basically a band from that era. Like reviewing The Sabs' 13 album with a phrase like "they really capture that old Sabbath-y retro sound", it would be redundant to judge The Quill as such.

The selling point of Tiger Blood, the band's 7th studio album, is its musical depth. Rather than a simple, classic rock romp from start to finish, there are mellower tracks like Land of Gold and Honey with it's Embryonic Journey-esque acoustic riff and simple, effective harmonized vocals, and the use of strings on Purgatory Hill provide an almost Kashmir-ish energy that implies a more thoughtful and mature approach to the songwriting you don't find on simple, coattail-riding, retro bands. These guys are simply the real deal.

The Bottom Line: Not to be dismissed as just another retro band, The Quill has been making music for over 20 years, and their latest effort shows the kind of refinement and maturity that lesser bands riding the retro craze normally lack.

Tracks To Make You Consider Getting Your Bell Bottoms Out Of The Back Of The Closet: Death Valley, Land of Gold And Honey, Darkest Moon

- Genghis may have to grow some big-ass sideburns to go with his 'stache...