A decade before Doro Pesch’s metal crew took the name Warlock in 1982, it was the name of a mysterious band from Detroit. Precious little is known about them, except that they issued this rare, lone album in 1972 on the short-lived Music Merchant label set up that year by the Motown songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
This reissue returns the record to vinyl for the first time since that release. If the concept of a jazzy love-in between Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Doors and early Deep Purple whets your musical appetite, then Warlock’s soulful, genre-blending sound may waft your kaftan.
They flow smoothly between rock, psych, funk, jazz and soul, at times within a single song (Music Box/Struggling Man, Thrills Of Love), but their eclecticism is largely engaging. Raw-throated vocals alternate with smoother crooning, while punchy horns and melodious keyboards are common threads throughout.
You’ve Been My Rock (written by Holland-DozierHolland) resembles a Four Tops/Funkadelic mash-up, and grand finale As You Die/Music Box grooves through 14 minutes of tempestuous mood swings. If your tastes are sufficiently adventurous, dive in.
