Wrong Creatures
by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 1 out of 18
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  1. Magnet
    Apr 17, 2018
    85
    With BRMC, the curtains match the drapes in terms of words and music. [No. 150, p.51]
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  2. Classic Rock Magazine
    Feb 2, 2018
    80
    Echo is a lustrous cosmic echo of Walk On The Wild Side, while the Doorsy atmospherics and celestial hooks of Ninth Configuration and Question Of Faith shroud personal and religious soul-searching that suggest Wrong Creatures is actually a conversation with their younger, wronger selves. Certainly the dark carnival of Circus Bazooko and stirring postrock finale All Rise prove they’re tackling their crippling Psychocandy addiction, making Wrong Creatures something of a colourful rebirth.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Jan 29, 2018
    80
    Wrong Creatures succeeds far more often than it fails. It’s epic, full of attitude and done with a whole heap of style.
  5. The Independent (UK)
    Jan 11, 2018
    80
    It’s their most accomplished clawing-back so far of the basic dark rock’n’roll street-smarts that were lost as they cast fruitlessly around for new directions with projects like the acoustic album Howl and the awful noise-scape effort The Effects Of 333 (their very own Metal Machine Music).
  6. Q Magazine
    Jan 9, 2018
    80
    Long-term aficionados will enjoy the sinuous throb of King Of Bones, while those thinking of rejoining the party, the expansive voodoo rattle of Haunt shows the band's mastery of (bad) mood has only matured with age. [Feb 2018, p.108]
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  7. Under The Radar
    Jan 25, 2018
    75
    This album, like their previous works, except Howl, will do nothing to damage their legacy. Again, being non-threatening should not be viewed as a crime, especially here. Wrong Creatures scatter nearly great songs amongst forgettable ones.
  8. PopMatters
    Feb 9, 2018
    70
    Wrong Creatures progressively follows 2013's Specter at the Feast, with a solid sound rooted in densely layered guitar work providing landscapes for deep lyrics, with supportive percussion. Been, Peter Hayes, and drummer Leah Shapiro bring the entirety of the band's career out with this album.
  9. AllMusic
    Jan 12, 2018
    70
    On Wrong Creatures, it's refreshing to hear a band so wrought with spiritual and emotional demons find their rock & roll grace and let it rip.
  10. Uncut
    Jan 9, 2018
    70
    It's the dumb, heads-down rockers that show BRMC at their best. [Feb 2018, p.24]
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  11. Sputnikmusic
    Jan 16, 2018
    68
    Wrong Creatures is an often somber listen, better done at night. It isn’t Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at their peak, although it shows the three seasoned musicians doing a good job in their own field.
  12. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 9, 2018
    65
    Wrong Creatures has just enough of what made BRMC right, and a few tantalisingly brief flourishes to boot, but it's a balance that can only be struck for so long.
  13. Paste Magazine
    Jan 10, 2018
    64
    Fans of BRMC, fans of bluesy psych rock and fans of anyone that’s still out there trying to do it with a guitar will love Wrong Creatures. For fans of rock music that jolts you awake and holds you by the throat, It’s just not gonna rock you like it used to.

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Shared Album of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. tillouco
    Jan 3, 2019
    7
    In "Wrong Creatures", "Black Rebel Mortorcycle Club" sounds similar to others rock bands, but still engaging and melancholic in peculiar way.In "Wrong Creatures", "Black Rebel Mortorcycle Club" sounds similar to others rock bands, but still engaging and melancholic in peculiar way. As strengths, the album brings a certain cohesion in the production of the atmosphere of these creatures of the love, well represented by "Carried From the Start" and "Question of Faith"; on the other hand, slips on composition and vocals, which in many songs do not seem to fit, as well as themes without much depth.
    Despite small inconsistencies, possibly "Wrong Creatures" is one of the few albums of 2018 that sounds good for those looking for a cohesive and pleasant work to hear for some good months.    … Full Review »
  2. FrogNipples
    Jan 17, 2018
    8
    Wrong Creatures, BRMC's first album in 5 years, finds the band, once again, flirting with dark, but hopeful sounds and themes. The intro song,Wrong Creatures, BRMC's first album in 5 years, finds the band, once again, flirting with dark, but hopeful sounds and themes. The intro song, 'DFF', is an instrumental featuring tribal drumming and darkly atmospheric vocal intonations, and might be considered a throwaway track by some, but it sets the tone for the album and is a great lead into the second track. 'Spook' is a smoky mid-tempo rocker loaded with the fantastic guitar riffs and tones, that Peter Hayes is known for. Third track 'King of Bones' shows the band experimenting with some synthesizers, but the dark grinding synth meshes seamlessly with the guitars and sounds as if it's always been present. 'Haunt' slows and strips things down, as they take a turn towards the Southern Gothic sound they've perfected on previous albums. 'Echo' might be the most ambitious song they've done. It sounds like what you might get if Lou Reed and a U2 had collaborated. it features a made-for-radio chorus that gets in your head and takes up residence. The next track, the mysteriously named 'Ninth Configuration', starts out as a slow dreamy tune, but builds and builds to a wall of noisy 'shoegaze' guitar. The rest of the album consists of the slow sultry burner, 'Question of Faith'. The zen-like atmosphere of 'Calling Them All Away'. A straight ahead rocker called 'Little Thing Gone Wild'. The odd but interesting 'Circus Bazooko', which features a circus-like organ riff that, believe it or not, actually works in the song. The slow pounding rocker 'Carried from the Start'. And finally, the darkly beautiful 'All Rise', slowly lets you off the emotional ride. Produced by Nick Launay, who has worked with everyone from Killing Joke to Nick Cave, this might be BRMC's best sounding album. To sum things up, if you are a fan of the band, you will love this album. If you aren't already a fan, you will find something to love on the album, and you might just become a fan.… Full Review »
  3. StevenX
    Jan 12, 2018
    6
    Maddening. Put in a couple decent rockers as bait, and psyche! Suddenly you're smack-dab in the middle of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club'sMaddening. Put in a couple decent rockers as bait, and psyche! Suddenly you're smack-dab in the middle of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's continuing quest to crawl into themselves. What started out as an energetic, inventive band has morphed into goth music for people who are too cool for goth, with a couple of said rockers thrown in. The production and atmosphere on this one (more the latter than the former is featured) saves some cuts, sinks others. Drummer Leah Shapiro's full talents and range are explored, but her sheer power (which hooked me when she slammed home a Dead Combo tune on YouTube years back) doesn't get much of a workout here. Of the slower stuff (and there is much slower stuff), perhaps only "Echo" lives up to its full potential, and sands off the sometimes-grating nasal treble edge off Robert Levon Been's voice in the process. Unfortunately, it's instantly negated by "Ninth Configuration", which rambles, warbles between country and slow-dance prom stuff, and features what sounds like a small kitten on guitar solos. (Think Black Velvet Lounge Cruise.) I'm sure BRMC's most rabid fans will always believe no matter the pretension level, and I'll keep falling for that rocker bait as well, probably, but this is the third album in a row that poses more questions than answers. Whatever happened to their rock and roll?… Full Review »
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