PREACHER STONE - BY THE HORNS
Reviewed by Laura DQ • 30 September 2025
As Southern Rock continues to enjoy something of a revival, bands like Black Stone Cherry and The Cadillac Three finding broad appeal with their decidedly modern approach to the genre, North Carolina’s Preacher Stone deserve to be embraced with just as much warmth. A five-some who have persisted in the face of adversity, it’s a thrill to hear the band sounding energised, and in their own words, “letting it rip” on forthcoming release ‘By the Horns’.
‘By the Horns’ is out on October 17th. Get your pre-orders in here:
You can catch Preacher Stone on tour in the UK in early 2026. Check out the dates and get your tickets here:
Drummer Wyatt’s thunderous wallop provides an appropriately bullish introduction to an album that is proudly big, bold and brash. The title track, like several that follow, boasts a grooving riff and a memorable chorus, elevated by Ronnie Riddle’s charismatic vocal performance. There’s a lovely feeling of spontaneity to the guitar solos that erupt as the song builds to a conclusion, a sense that nothing here is too contrived, rock and roll as nature intended.
‘Saddled and Rode’ picks up in similar territory, but it’s funkier, and really highlights the warm vocal harmonies that are such a hallmark of this kind of music. ‘Writing on the Wall’ has more bite, the hard rocking riff almost menacing, the perfect accompaniment to lyrics that find Riddle seeking to leave a relationship that he recognises has already broken down.
The twin guitar sound of Ben Robinson and Darrell Whitt drives ‘The Devil You Know’, a moodier, introspective track that changes the pace and generates an atmosphere of foreboding. ‘Blessing and a Curse’ lounges back into almost countrified territory with beautiful harmonies and mellow guitar, the only time the band chooses to deviate from almighty riffs, and perfectly placed at the album’s heart.
The out and out rocking ‘Old Joe’ struts with an assured confidence, and demonstrates the band’s ability to tell a story through song. ‘The Last to Know’ is pleasingly percussive, the rhythm section really giving it what for and injecting serious swagger, but the electrifying guitar work is just as impressive. At times reminiscent of a beefed up Lynyrd Skynyrd, ‘Come What May’ provides further evidence that Preacher Stone are happiest when leaning into the heavier side of Southern rock.
Arguably saving the best for last, ‘Think By Now’ feels like a natural anthem with the kind of shout-along chorus that will translate beautifully live, and a joyful lyric that takes an optimistic view of mistakes made through the course of life. It’s a hugely uplifting conclusion to an album that is undoubtedly one of the most addictive I’ve heard this year.