Experimental, heavy, funky rock, and although Alien Alright boldly wear their influences upfront, this sort of thing doesn’t come along too often. Zappa, Led Zep, Neil Young, Jane’s Addiction and Funkadelic all hold sway on the sound, and as the band are kind enough to point out on the press release, The Exodus Is Here ‘adopts the 7-song format and approach of The Stooges’ Fun House, Young’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain’ just in case you missed the references first time ‘round. So, in theory, nothing too original here, but they keep it fun throughout, the songs are knowing and the playing magnetic. I know it’s a record that I’m going to dip into rather that keep on heavy rotation, but there’s no denying the potency of the excellent nine minute “Record Store Blues” - a genuine throwback to 1970’s Radio Caroline playlists - or the equally punchy, and no less epic “Vintage Music”.

“The Exodus is Here” is a fast-paced, guitar-driven hard rock album from Alien Alright. Alien Alright is true to the hard rock sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and his guitar progressions and solos have a certain timelessness to them. His lyrics follow the same format, and when they are not timeless, they are critical of the state of the music world today. “The Exodus is Here” was recorded as a seven-track album because Alien Alright wants music to return to its roots. Alien believes that for an album to be appreciated and loved and for a song to be all it can be, it cannot not be overproduced with the intent for radio play. His vocals also draw from the ‘60s and ‘70s through the likes of Robert Plant and Neil Young and create an original raw sound. The album is well-recorded and allows for those guitar solos to burst through the speakers clearly and cleanly. “Make Some Noise” contains a Jim James-style falsetto then moves into some great wailing vocals that creates an overall Zeppelin-esque sound. “Record Store Blues” has an inviting guitar progression as he sings about the overabundance of musicians today and longs for the purer days of musical yore. “The Exodus is Here” is a bold album that makes bold statements about the music industry past and present. Fans of early hard rock, give this album a try.

This album’s got a raw, energized sound, where sounding pretty doesn’t seem to be a major concern. There are some truly blazing solos here, and the whole performance seems to be right on the edge and is all the more gripping for that. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but from the funk beats of Vintage Music to the guitar workouts of Record Store Blues it's all quite excellent.