Australia’s retro-rock throwback prodigy Wolfmother is back from its album-making hiatus with the newly released Cosmic Egg. Big-haired front-man Andrew Stockdale remains as the only original band member, as a recent overhaul in the lineup saw the departure of the rest of the band. With these changes, Wolfmother brings a fresh sound to the airwaves that differs from its prior projects.

The new members came together in January of this year to stretch out their prog-rock arms and begin composing an updated version of their previously overused sound. Once thought of as a modern version of Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, Wolfmother has peered out of the rabbit-hole long enough to create its own sound.

The riff-driven, lengthy guitar solo sound carries the album, which still resonates with the Wolfmother fans from the band’s first studio release, Wolfmother. Cosmic Egg offers twelve new, catchy songs like opener “”California Queen,”” which has a two-riff meltdown. Although their songs are quite musically basic, their intensity saves the performance. Other songs, like “”In the Morning,”” take a slightly more melodic turn that is a departure from the rest of Wolfmother’s heavier sound. Overall, Wolfmother’s new album should impress once-leery listeners of their clichéd recreation of ’70s rock bands. Although there are still a few kinks to work out between the new members and Stockdale, Cosmic Egg is a step in the right direction for this revised band.