With enough rock and roll swagger to make your face melt, Melbourne-based outfit Palace of the King have unleashed a torrent of their retro, bluesy rock magic with the release of their debut album, White Bird/Burn the Sky. There’s a whole heap of fantastic influences woven throughout the album – I’ve caught snatches of Aerosmith, Slash, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and a whole lot more – and my God, does it make for a fantastic listening experience. If it wasn’t already obvious, this kind of music is right up my alley.
While Palace of the King have clearly taken inspiration from a wide range of artists, they’ve been able to blend it all together to produce their own brand of music that stands out from the crowd. The bluesy hard rock vibe is backed up by a very ’70s funk rock sound – the bass starts thumping, the guitars become psychedelic and everything blends together beautifully. Palace of the King have filled a gap that you didn’t even realise was there – it’s music that you can just sit down and absolutely rock out to. From the opening riff to the last chord, White Bird/Burn The Sky exudes confidence, style and rock ‘n’ roll in a way that you just don’t see much anymore. It’s not very often that I say this, but I can guarantee that Palace of the King have put out an album that is absolutely going to blow you out of the water.
Reviewed by Alastair McGibbon