Written and recorded over the course of five years, Blood Moon Rising arrives to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of The Tea Party. A hugely popular entity in their native Canada, the band have amassed considerable success with their unusual mix of prog, blues, industrial rock and Middle Eastern Music, earning four double-platinum discs, one platinum and four golds. Although the band split in 2005 (due to the age-old chestnut of creative differences), they reformed in 2011 and have continued to carve out their furrow, with their most recent release (2019’s Black River EP) featuring heavily on this fourteen-track disc. Unfortunately, despite the esteem in which the band is held, the results here are a little uneven and the final third in particular (largely comprising covers) does little to enhance the band’s reputation.
It kicks off decently enough, with two tracks from 2019’s Black River EP (the remainder are spread out across the disc) and the EP’s title track is first up. A crunchy rocker, it recalls mid-period Soundgarden, although it comes to an end just as you’re starting to groove on the heavy riff – a common theme here, which makes for a slightly rougher flow than may be expected. In contrast, Way Way Down (also released separately as a single) takes an unexpected digression into slide-fuelled Clutch territory, neatly showcasing the band’s eclecticism. The acoustic-led Sunshower is an interesting track with a lilting melody and subtle influence from the much-missed Mad Season. So Careless picks up the pace, throwing in a dark, slightly scuffed industrial edge that really works in the track’s favour, especially when the gnarly slide guitar kicks in. The band follow it up with a calmer number, the acoustic lament Our Love, which initially eschews its initially melancholic vibe in favour of something grander that does not entirely work, thanks to its patchy strings and over the top guitar work.
Kicking things up a notch, the band offer up some no nonsense riffing on Hole In My Heart, a track that pinches bits from hard rock, country and blues, all of which makes for a convincing workout with a Zeppelin vibe. Shelter slows the pace and takes the album in a darker direction. It boasts a strong vocal from Jeff Martin, and some sweet lead work too. The funky Summertime has a sweet vibe that fits its name, while the chorus is distressingly catchy. The band strut their funky stuff on Zeppelin Cover Out On The Tiles which, perhaps, feels too respectful to really fly. In contrast, the sun-kissed pop rock of The Beautiful, while easy to imagine as a single, sounds too much like the sort of radio-rock that clogged the airwaves in the mid-90s, offering little when placed against the more ambitious material found elsewhere on the record.
Kicking off the album’s final third, the title track is a true oddity, given that it essentially rips off the intro to The Stones’ Wild Horses, adding in a touch of stately slide work, but otherwise feeling every bit the countrified homage. An odd choice for the title track and not a great moment on the album, it’s followed by an equally awkward cover of Joy Division’s Isolation. Unfortunately, unlike, say, Therapy?, you can’t help but feel that the band just don’t get the crushing horror that lies at the heart of the track’s lyric. The result is strangely bouncy, despite the addition of period effects on the vocal, and it adds little to the album. In contrast, Morrisey’s Everyday Is Like Sunday feels more natural to The Tea Party and they pull it off well, even if it is rather inconsequential. Fortunately, a bonus live version of Way Way Down sees the album out, and it does something to recover the record’s balance, the band offering a harmonica-washed acoustic take that recalls Aerosmith in their pomp.
Overall, Blood Moon Rising is a bit of a missed opportunity. Well packaged in a handsome digipack (albeit with a booklet that misses key recording information), it certainly looks the part, but the collection of tracks here just doesn’t flow terribly well. While you could argue that is a necessary consequence of this being a compilation, you only have to look at a record like the Smashing Pumpkins’ Pisces Iscariot to see how it could have been done better. Arguably a compelling set for fans, Blood Moon Rising is just too scattershot to recommend in general terms and it might be best to invest in the Black River EP instead. 5/10
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