Music has the power to amplify your emotions, or tone them down. In a way, you can have a form of control over your emotions through the music you choose to listen to.
Rock is one of the most well renowned musical genres to ever exist. If someone were to ask me who the founding fathers of rock and roll were, I could answer their question in two words: Led Zeppelin.
I will be giving a review of the English rock band’s fifth studio album, Houses of Holy by Led Zeppelin. The band consists of four of the most brilliant musicians of all time. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and the best drummer of all time, John Bohnam (aka Bono), formed this band and reshaped the way rock and roll was listened to forever. For this review, I will take in consideration the lyrics, vocals, and instrumental aspects of the tracks.
“The Song Remains The Same”
9.5/10
This song starts with a very strong instrumental portion that transitions into a slower hook when Robert’s vocals come in. The short, sweet guitar riffs and change in tempo made the song unique and drew me in to the rest of the album. The lyrics of the song are based on Robert Plant’s idea that music is universal. This was an amazing opening track for one of the best albums of all time.
“The Rain Song”
10/10
Jimmy’s sliding guitar mixed with Plant’s shaky vocals made this tune undeniably a masterpiece. This is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs of all time because it falls into the category of a ballad and is an outlier to most of their other pieces. This song was comparing the weather to the romantic relationship Plant was in at the time. The lyrics talk about unpredictability of the weather, how it can change and be unrelenting and brutal at times, similar to the relationship he was in at the time.
“Over The Hills And Far Away”
9/10
This includes a well known acoustic guitar riff. The rhythm of the riff is unique, but purely acoustic at the start. The song hits hard when Plant’s vocals come in high, and the guitar goes from acoustic to electric. After that, the song becomes a mix of intense guitar riffs, and screaming vocals. Every track on this album is so unique compared to anything that has ever been put out into the world. This song did not disappoint at all.
“The Crunge”
8.5/10
John Bohnam is the best drummer of all time. He was known for his intense rhythm changes and mixing in impossible triplets and fills that set Zeppelin songs aside from everything else. This song is an amazing example of that. The drums follow such a unique time signature that you can’t follow along with a steady clap. This makes it so the song never gets old. It is a work of art.
“Dancing Days”
7/10
The rhythm of this song is much more simple, but has an intense mood to it. I really enjoyed this song, I just wish it transitioned into a different verse like the other songs had. The guitar riff was clever and very catchy. It just got a little repetitive to me, I think the track could have been cut a little shorter.
“D’yer Mak’er”
7.5/10
This song feels super lightweight, and happy. It has a beachy feel to it, which is very different from mainstream Zeppelin. I enjoyed it, and thought Plant’s vocals made the song good. It was a well-done simple track, but didn’t stand out to me as anything special like some of the other tracks had.
“No Quarter”
9/10
This song is slow and mysterious. It has a very ominous feeling to it. When Bohnam starts drumming and the guitar comes in, the song really comes together. The vocals and the rhythm is so unique later in the song. John Paul Jones mixed in a few keys that could noticeably be heard in the song. It is uncommon to hear rich piano in rock tracks like this, so that made the song different as well. I enjoyed this one very, very much.
“The Ocean”
10/10
I used to try to learn skateboard tricks in my garage to this song as a kid, so this song hit me differently. It brought back a lot of memories, and honestly the song is a masterpiece. It had a crazy change mid-song, and the guitar riff is undeniably brilliant. The vocals make the song what it is. The four musicians working in sync to create something that could never be created by anybody else is a work of art. I am so happy I got to listen to these tracks.
Overall, this album gets a rating of 8.8/10.
