Review: The Black Moods 'Into the Night'

The Black Moods, Into The Night

By Mike O’Cull

Arizona hard rockers The Black Moods deliver the straight-up strong stuff on the band’s new album Into The Night. Released June 3rd, 2022 by Wit Hustle/The Orchard /Steelhorse Entertainment and produced by Grammy Award-nominated producer Johnny “K” Karkazis (3 Doors Down, Disturbed), the set blends the most elemental components of rock and roll music into new songs that achieve a nearly-perfect balance of guts, glory, guitar, and big-league hooks.

Karkazis also produced the group’s acclaimed second album Sunshine and his presence continues to bring The Black Moods’ studio game to a fever pitch. The performances and energy captured for Into The Night would make the set a success in any of the last five decades but are especially powerful and necessary right now. The Black Moods have a talent for melding rock, blues, punk, and pop influences into a sound that’s physical, emotive, and absolutely packed with anthemic hooks. They have an urgent, live band style built upon the obvious chemistry shared by band members Josh Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Chico Diaz (drums), and Jordan Hoffman (bass) that turns each song into a knockout punch. Naysayers grousing that rock and roll is dead clearly haven’t encountered this mighty crew yet.

The Black Moods are one of the most crucial and exciting American bands working today. They’re the genuine article, able to command motion and melody at will without ever letting go of the power trio grind that’s at the core of the group’s success. They’re now three albums into what’s sure to be an impressive career and have shared stages with the likes of The Doors’ Robbie Krieger, Shinedown, Jane’s Addiction, Whitesnake, The Dead Daisies, Collective Soul, and Gin Blossoms. Into The Night is bold and memorable from end to end and will likely do much to get rock music back on top of the mainstream where it belongs.

The Black Moods go hard from the jump, opening Into The Night with the driving “Youth Is Wasted On The Young.” The song is a scathing response to those talking smack to and about the generation currently prowling the streets of our world rendered in soaring vocals, pounding drum beats, and crunching guitars. Josh Kennedy is a bigger-than-life presence at center stage and his guitar work and voice mark him as a true rock frontman in the timeless sense. This one immediately gets your blood up and ready for a peak rock experience.

“Hollywood” is a glimpse inside the meaner side of fame’s chase that starts as a moody, mid-tempo growler but opens up into a gorgeous hit-single chorus that’ll stay with you for days. The track will remind you of the sublime 90s radio rock of Gin Blossoms and The Goo Goo Dolls without ever falling into an imitation of either band. Chico Diaz puts down some fine drumming here that adds a lot of snap to the arrangement and keeps the tune where it needs to be.

The hedonistic anthem “Saturday Night” channels 70s glam and modern hard rock into a blaster that’s all about loading up, letting go, and feeling good. The guitars and vocals are both huge-sounding and push this ode to the rock and roll lifestyle past the dawn and into the morning. It’s a cathartic jam that will quickly get your fist in the air. Deep cuts worthy of your listening time include “Junkie Excuses” and “Fire & Gasoline.” The Black Moods combine edge and accessibility all over Into The Night in an irresistibly dangerous way that needs to be part of your summer soundtrack. Put it on and get your motor running.

Order link for Into The Night HERE

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