Black Country Communion // V // Album Review

The bad boys of blues-infused groove-rock are back! Black Country Communion (BCC) are a majestic band, the supergroup of all supergroups! For those not in the know comprising on vocals, Mr Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Trapeze, Blues legend Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Foreigner and of course Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater and Sons Of Apollo. Together they are a force to be reckoned with, a tornado of a band that sonically devastates everything in their way.

Their latest offering ‘V’ comes after their 2017 recording BCCIV and multiple setbacks with Covid and the shamdemic of 2020. We are finally ready to receive ‘V’ in all its glory and what an album it is. Old school BCC at it’s core, groove-laden tracks that have those glorious Hughes signature basslines that lay down the foundation for the thick backbone to the songwriting, Bonamassa’s cutting guitar tone, majestic touch and musicality that separates him from a chasing pack means every solo is a head-turner. Marry that with Bonham’s thunderous drums and Sherianian’s Hammond and key’s skills, you have a multi-layered sonic explosion to lose yourself for just under an hour in the most glorious soundtrack you’ll hear in 2024.

I was fortunate to catch BCC way back just after they launched in 2009 when they played Vicar St. in Dublin and it was a spiritual experience, Bonamassa’s tone in your face was intense to say the least, face-melting at times, and Hughes’s stage presence is a thing of beauty and together they just unleashed unholy hell on the Irish crowd who were lucky to see them in the flesh. It was the start of a crazy journey together as a band that has now carried them some 15-odd years down the road, turbulent times here and there but when these cats get together Jesus H Christ it’s worth it! ‘V’ is no exception, the album is packed with instant classics, a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, the guys take you on the most amazing sonic journey across every song, with thunderous basslines, slamming drums and keys fill the air around you and Bonamassa’s blistering guitar work, it’s all there, but the guys don’t just write songs for the sake of it, every track takes you on a journey with them, teasing you as they weave their magic, breaking down when you least expect it, building up to a crescendo and pushing you right over the edge, this album has it all and then some.

A glorious return for BCC and a timely reminder of why we need these guys in our lives, they only come together every few years to sprinkle a little bit of BCC joy, ‘V’ is a killer album from start to finish, a true testament of what happens when musicians of this calibre get together in a room and thrash it out.

‘V’ will be your soundtrack to the summer of 2024.

‘V’ arrives Friday, June 14^th courtesy of J&R Adventures.

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