Swapping out his rhythm section,
Andrew Stockdale proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's the mastermind of
Wolfmother on
Cosmic Egg, creating a second record that is essentially a replication of the first, equally enamored with all the thick, heavy rock of the '70s, specifically
Sabbath and
Zeppelin, tempered with a little bit of
Jack White caterwaul. All the sounds remain the same, but the songs have changed: with the occasional exception, such as the
Stripes-ian salute "White Feather,"
Stockdale backs away from simple, brutal riff-driven songs, preferring churning exercises in heavy fantasy, sometimes colored with some
Deep Purple organ. It's an effective way to show off a tighter, capable band, one that can deliver a serious gut-level punch, and one that is spending more time fusing their influence than delivering straight-up hero worship. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine