OK here we go again 51 seconds of rain isn’t a first track, but the groove that builds up to bursting on ‘Vespucci’ makes it all worth it. There’s a clunky garage ethic to the sound and some great riffs, nice wailing guitars and a rather scant but effective vocal. It’s great, it really is.
Like any album though the proof is in the continued listening and ‘Power of Love’ that follows has a similarly funky groove and similarly catchy riff, the vocals though are more to the fore and simmer and shine like Shannon Hoon or Andrew Wood against a grungy, Sabbathy mescal backdrop. It’s got me in the groove!
Whilst were on the subject ‘Blind Melon’ isn’t a bad reference point here – there’s that similar abandon, great guitar and wonderful groove without the overt Southern leanings and more Seattle in the mix.
In truth I can take or leave instrumentals and ‘La Ballata Del Korkovihor Pt. II’ is OK but overpowered by the strength of the hard rocking power of ‘Ranger’ which attempts to light up the sky and really sets off the vocals of singer/guitarist Alessio Capati – and man that’s what I call a solo!
The cover of The Doors ‘Waiting For the Sun’ has a nice atmospheric treatment: the biggest surprise though might be ‘1605’ which comes as a shock after that cover and the straight forward ‘foot to the floor’ rocker that proceeded it. ‘1605’ you see is another instrumental but so reserved and subtle you feel its all rather out of place and as ‘Lu Cart’ that follows starts off similarly slowly it creates a lull in an album that’s greatest strength had been it’s relentlessness.
‘Lu Cart’ at almost eight minutes long, built on drums and eventually wailing guitar does though thankfully get the juices flowing again but it does render the second half of the album in markedly different colours to the opening and it goes on a bit even before the presumably ‘funny’ tag on that wastes 40 seconds of your life and makes you start to reconsider your opinion of the album.
‘Tomahawk’ which follows ups the pace thankfully but its a rather average and ‘arty’ song that features Ugly Kid Joe’s Whitfield Crane on vocals, in truth it’s pretty ordinary as a song and not one I’d really care to hear again.
Thankfully after seemingly falling into a huge heap over the space of 3 songs ’11’is back on message and in the spirit of those wonderfully frenetic openers. Final track ‘Seul B’ is pure ‘Badmotorfinger’ Soundgarden and sees Andres Capati doing his best Myles Kennedy, it might even be the best track here but it’s been given a great run for it’s money by that opening salvo.
Blending grunge, stoner and classic rock this is one that hits the spot, but not an album that works in its entirety.