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LORD BISHOP has been rocking for over 30 years, touring with superstars of hard rock guitar, and he’s also quite a sight to behold. A huge black dude from New York, who combines rock clichés of smoky dives and the occult with multiculturalism. This can only be a good party, and the music is just as impressive as the visuals.
The twelve tracks on "Tear Down The Empire" are a skillful distillation of everything that bluesy rock music has produced in the last millennium. This band breathes this music - you could probably send them with a time machine to Woodstock '69, early '90s Seattle, or anywhere in between, and they would perfectly complement the musical landscape. It reminds me a bit of the first time I heard TURBONEGRO and constantly felt like I was recognizing a song, because just like the Norwegians, LORD BISHOP ROCKS knows their roots and plays with them, delighting the listener with hints of the music that inspired them. Can it happen that you hear SOUNDGARDEN (quote from "Blow up the Outside World"), THE CLASH, and then even THE TURTLES in the same song? Yes, absolutely. The grunge sound is partly provided by Nirvana producer Jack Endino, and just like this generation of rockers, our protagonists on this album have boiled the music down to its essence: a hard beat, thick guitar riffs, but also a simple melody full of beauty and longing. Female background vocals add a soulful touch at the right moments, and as the last song, there’s a farewell song for David Bowie.
LORD BISHOP ROCKS doesn’t invent anything new (which, to be fair, would be sensationally difficult in this genre by now). They stand on the shoulders of giants and do their thing really well. The whole album is varied because there’s simply so much in it, and yet you don’t feel like you’re dealing with a different band with each song. No, it’s the Bishop, who with his powerful voice brings back the feeling of an era that is now far behind us but still hits musically like a night out with Little Richard. A longing for freedom, for new beginnings, a world where the societal boundaries between people can be wiped away by a distorted chord.
Buy the record, and if LORD BISHOP ROCKS plays near you, go see them - I will definitely do that.
