Somewhere deep in the heart of Uber Rock Towers forces of goodness are at work assembling a band great enough to take on the world during these dark times. A band so awesome that they will bring new light to our grey Rock 'n' Roll world, a band that will (ahem) boldly go where no band has bone before.

But what will this band sound and look like I hear you cry?  Well how about taking the riffs of Black Sabbath, bolting on the pop sensibilities of primetime Kiss, adding in just a touch of Queens Of The Stone Age's eccentricity, and lets not forget that dash of The Dwarves humour.  Then how about wrapping it all up in that fearsome look the biker gang from Clint Eastwood's "Every/Any Which Way" movies had? Well that sounds fan fucking tastic and all of that is just for starters.... But hold on a minute folks.... Stop the work!!!! because someone has already beaten us to it.  Yes siree ex Groop Dogdrill man Pete 'Spider' Spiby must have stolen our Uber Rock approved blueprint when he assembled the ten legged rock machine known as Black Spiders, because their debut album 'Sons Of The North' is so brilliant it's THE album everyone here at Uber Rock would have loved to have made sometime in their life.

My first experience of the Spiders was in a concert hall in the West Country where through no fault of their own, (the roads all around the venue had been closed off due to an accident or something) the band found themselves playing to one man and his dog.  So what does a band in this fragile position do to impress those who have actually managed to get in early enough to see them?  Well let's just say that they did that night exactly what they do right here, they launched straight into the atom bomb of a song that is 'Stay Down'.  Sharpened up slightly from the original 'Cinco Hombres' EP version by the band's relentless touring schedule, 'Stay Down is the musical equivalent of those Monster caffeine shot drinks that pubs do right now, it's an immediate shot of rock injected adrenaline to the brain that leaves you the listener buzzing like fuck. Phew!!!! we're only one track in, at this rate I'm going to be a nervous wreck by track ten.

Lucky for me then that next up is the strutting swagger of 'KISS tried to Kill Me' that is an almost near perfect homage to the once great American rockers, I say near perfect because it's such a shame they couldn't squeeze a Catman reference into the song's otherwise flawlessly hilarious chorus.  With the lead tracks from all of the band's previous 3 EP's present in the shape of 'St Peter', 'Just Like A Woman' and the aforementioned 'Stay Down', you could be forgiven for thinking there isn't going to be that much new stuff on here, but how wrong you would be my uber rocking amigos.  First up 'Easy Peasy' and I'm freaking out again to the Zeppelin riffing and duelling male/female vocals that immediately had me thinking that Jennifer Stephens might just have made a welcome return to a recording studio (sadly it wasn't, but Danni Maibaum certainly does a fine job all the same).  Then 'Blood Of The Kings' 'Si, El Diablo' and 'Mans Ruin' all manage to evoke memories of a time when Josh Homme was still writing great rock songs, whilst 'Medusa's Eyes' effortlessly crosses the rickety bridge into Arena Rock territory without once threatening to dent the band's unblemished outlaw reputation.

For a band that proudly proclaims to eat thunder and shit lightning, like Black Spiders do on the album's frantic finale 'What Good's A Rock Without A Roll', you certainly wouldn't have wanted the job of cleaning up the porcelain carnage that must have been left in the rest rooms after Black Spiders finished recording this album at Axis Studios back in February of last year. (Oh and is it just me or does that riff sound like 'Shout At The Devil' given a new lease of life?)

Make no mistake, this is an album so good it made our 2010 albums of the year before it was even officially released (some of us went out and purchased it direct from the band), and it will no doubt make our albums of the year for 2011 when the rest of the gang finally get their copies, when 'Sons Of The North' hits the shops on February 7th.

Look if you're reading this going "Black...Who?" or "What...Spiders?" do yourself a favour and get 'Sons Of The North', it is the most important album to some out of the UK rock scene since 'Earth V's The Wildhearts'. Put simply this is essential listening for anyone with just a modicum of musical taste or intelligence...

Fuck you Black Spiders; and see you on the road throughout February and March.

http://www.myspace.com/theblackspiders