Preacher Stone - By The Horns
In 2024 North Carolina southern rockers Preachers Stone released their fifth studio album, fittingly titled V.
The album garnered deserved high praise, with FabricationsHQ citing it as their best to date.
That should make for a hard act to follow, but these Preacher boys – Ronnie Riddle (lead vocals, harmonica, mandolin), Ben Robinson & Darrell Whitt (guitars), "Yoshi" Wyatt (drums, backing vocals) and Jim Bolt (bass, backing vocals) – have, again, title fittingly, taken the bull by the horns and delivered an album that’s even better.
And with very good and poignant reason…
V was an extremely solid offering but it was tinged with post-recording loss and sadness – keys player Johnny Webb sadly passed just prior to the album’s release; three months later the band lost co-founder Marty Hill.
As ever engaging frontman Ronnie Riddle said in pre-release press, the band have been through a lot in the last couple of years, from personal lows and grief to incredible highs.
The results, upon returning to the Gat3 studios in Charlotte NC with Grammy award winner Glenn Tabor once again at the production helm, was a quintet ready to record and deliver an old-school album that’s as strong as the band’s growth through adversity.
To quote Riddle once more, "We made the type of rock ‘n’ roll record we grew up listening to in the 70’s… we rode it like we stole it."
That comment is confirmed from the get go with the southern slanted rock and roll of the title track.
A good time song that features Ben Robinson and new Preacher on the Stone block, Darrell Whitt, firing on both six-string cylinders, the insistent number includes some clever rodeo related word-play ("you know I’d never steer you wrong, it’s a helluva ride, it’s your turn, to take the bull by the horns").
"Ride it like you stole it!" proudly shouts Ronnie Riddle in reference to the line used to sum up the album.
As the riff and driving rhythm of following number 'Saddled And Rode' kicks in it becomes noticeable, that, sans keyboards and with more attention paid to the guitars, the band have a sound and swagger not dissimilar to original, pre keyboards era Molly Hatchett.
(Preacher Stone are very much their own band with their own brand of southern, y’all, but comparisons to classic era Hatchett is no bad thing).
There’s also plenty of swagger to be heard on 'Writing On the Wall,' which carries an infectious riff and some nice light and shade on, respectively, the verses and purposeful choruses.
The album garnered deserved high praise, with FabricationsHQ citing it as their best to date.
That should make for a hard act to follow, but these Preacher boys – Ronnie Riddle (lead vocals, harmonica, mandolin), Ben Robinson & Darrell Whitt (guitars), "Yoshi" Wyatt (drums, backing vocals) and Jim Bolt (bass, backing vocals) – have, again, title fittingly, taken the bull by the horns and delivered an album that’s even better.
And with very good and poignant reason…
V was an extremely solid offering but it was tinged with post-recording loss and sadness – keys player Johnny Webb sadly passed just prior to the album’s release; three months later the band lost co-founder Marty Hill.
As ever engaging frontman Ronnie Riddle said in pre-release press, the band have been through a lot in the last couple of years, from personal lows and grief to incredible highs.
The results, upon returning to the Gat3 studios in Charlotte NC with Grammy award winner Glenn Tabor once again at the production helm, was a quintet ready to record and deliver an old-school album that’s as strong as the band’s growth through adversity.
To quote Riddle once more, "We made the type of rock ‘n’ roll record we grew up listening to in the 70’s… we rode it like we stole it."
That comment is confirmed from the get go with the southern slanted rock and roll of the title track.
A good time song that features Ben Robinson and new Preacher on the Stone block, Darrell Whitt, firing on both six-string cylinders, the insistent number includes some clever rodeo related word-play ("you know I’d never steer you wrong, it’s a helluva ride, it’s your turn, to take the bull by the horns").
"Ride it like you stole it!" proudly shouts Ronnie Riddle in reference to the line used to sum up the album.
As the riff and driving rhythm of following number 'Saddled And Rode' kicks in it becomes noticeable, that, sans keyboards and with more attention paid to the guitars, the band have a sound and swagger not dissimilar to original, pre keyboards era Molly Hatchett.
(Preacher Stone are very much their own band with their own brand of southern, y’all, but comparisons to classic era Hatchett is no bad thing).
There’s also plenty of swagger to be heard on 'Writing On the Wall,' which carries an infectious riff and some nice light and shade on, respectively, the verses and purposeful choruses.
Moody mid-tempo 'The Devil You Know,' which features some nice, rhythmic drum work from Yoshi Wyatt and effective harmony guitar parts, is the album’s southern blues number, musically and lyrically ("any vice will do if it helps you to forget").
Slow-build acoustic-electric ballad 'Blessing And a Curse' is as southern as it gets, Preacher Stone style; an album highlight.
The ghost of 'Old Joe' then wanders over to the amps to turn 'em back up for a purposeful and muscly mid-tempo that’s as rock sharp as it is southern.
Similarly weighty is the more up-tempo 'Come What May,' which, like many of the numbers, is driven by an infectious riff and plenty of meat on the southern rock bone. There’s also space for call and answer guitar solos, followed by a short, harmonised twin guitar part. Another highlight.
Southern rhythm and blues number 'The Last To Know' may not be the strongest song on the album but its chug-along appeal and last laugh lyric ("all the things I know, he ain’t seen; he’ll find out soon enough how crazy you can be!) make for a fun change of pace.
'Think By Now,' the ultimate we should all know better but we don’t song, is AC/DC meeting southern rock head on topped off by a great, hook chorus.
As such it makes for the perfect album closer to a nine song, southern swaggering success.
Preacher Stone’s philosophy has always been to write songs that are, as the band say themselves, "about real life, real people and a real good time."
Best album to date By The Horns is no exception – and that’s no Bull.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Preacher Stone By The Horns UK Tour 2026
(with special guests Revenant)
January 28 - Faversham - The Old Brewery Store
January 29 - London - Cart and Horses
January 30 - Winchester - Railway Inn
January 31 - St Austell - St Austell Band Club
February 1 - Trecco Bay - Planet Rock Winter’s End*
February 3 - Edinburgh - Bannermans
February 4 - Glasgow - Ivory Blacks
February 5 - Newcastle - Trillians
February 6 - Nottingham - The Old Cold Store
February 7 - Birmingham - Asylum 2
February 8 - Bristol - The Louisiana
*Preacher Stone only
Slow-build acoustic-electric ballad 'Blessing And a Curse' is as southern as it gets, Preacher Stone style; an album highlight.
The ghost of 'Old Joe' then wanders over to the amps to turn 'em back up for a purposeful and muscly mid-tempo that’s as rock sharp as it is southern.
Similarly weighty is the more up-tempo 'Come What May,' which, like many of the numbers, is driven by an infectious riff and plenty of meat on the southern rock bone. There’s also space for call and answer guitar solos, followed by a short, harmonised twin guitar part. Another highlight.
Southern rhythm and blues number 'The Last To Know' may not be the strongest song on the album but its chug-along appeal and last laugh lyric ("all the things I know, he ain’t seen; he’ll find out soon enough how crazy you can be!) make for a fun change of pace.
'Think By Now,' the ultimate we should all know better but we don’t song, is AC/DC meeting southern rock head on topped off by a great, hook chorus.
As such it makes for the perfect album closer to a nine song, southern swaggering success.
Preacher Stone’s philosophy has always been to write songs that are, as the band say themselves, "about real life, real people and a real good time."
Best album to date By The Horns is no exception – and that’s no Bull.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Preacher Stone By The Horns UK Tour 2026
(with special guests Revenant)
January 28 - Faversham - The Old Brewery Store
January 29 - London - Cart and Horses
January 30 - Winchester - Railway Inn
January 31 - St Austell - St Austell Band Club
February 1 - Trecco Bay - Planet Rock Winter’s End*
February 3 - Edinburgh - Bannermans
February 4 - Glasgow - Ivory Blacks
February 5 - Newcastle - Trillians
February 6 - Nottingham - The Old Cold Store
February 7 - Birmingham - Asylum 2
February 8 - Bristol - The Louisiana
*Preacher Stone only