Innate ability aside, legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham got a big drum sound by playing big drums. Paying homage to Bonham’s signature, deeply resonant and otherworldly beat from “When the Levee Breaks” for this fantastic clip, “Open My Eyes,” Rival Sons’ drummer Michael Miley plays huge drums in a rather economically configured, three-piece kit while completely nailing Bonham’s nearly inimitable feel. And that should be enough to get any rock fans attention right out of the box. But really, this is just a great, pristinely produced Rock & Roll song by a band that obviously knows its shit.
Reviews I’ve read tag Rival Sons as a “Garage Rock Band,” but to my ears (and based entirely on this track) they sound more like one of the Classic Rock bands of the ’70s that built its foundation on blues and soul influences (Read: Led Zeppelin, Free, Uriah Heep). Just listen to vocalist Jay Buchanan and tell me that he didn’t pick up a few pointers from vocal greats like Steve Marriott, Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers. And just to toss in a comparison from my vault of unknown references, “Open My Eyes” really favorably reminded me of a much-loved-by-me lost track, “California,” from the woefully unsung Unified Theory, which is the band Blind Melon turned into after Shannon Hoon died.
“Open My Eyes” is first single from the album Great Western Valkyrie, due for release on Earache records on June 10th, 2014, which should be well worth checking out. Enjoy!
