Those loveable Italian rogues Demonio, whose members may or not be responsible for a whole raft of albums released under different band names, are back with a new collection of acid drenched guitar heavy tunage cobbled together beneath the banner "Acid Rain" (vinyl;:Regain Records. cassette: Ruidoteka Records). If you are a connoisseur of scuzzy Italian acid doom you will already know to expect washes of grainy fuzz soaked riffage, Hendrix-ian guitar solos, intense hard driven rhythms and husky vocals dialled way back in the mix, so it will then come as no surprise to discover that those things are exactly what Demonio's new album delivers.
Account opener "Dopelords" begins with spaced out warbling effects then explodes like bomb into a typical Demonio groove, low grizzled bass and punchy drumming pushed to the fore in support of scorching lead work enhanced with swirling spacious effects, the songs accompanying vocals delivered in breathy husky tones, basically everything you could possibly want to hear from this Italian trio. "Hell's House" follows with guitarist Anthony and bassist Matteo laying down refrains so drenched in fuzz and distortion that if it where not for Paolo's busy solid drumming and Anthony's breathy sneery vocals would be just a wall of gnarly noise There is a delightful funky edginess to next song "Satan's Haze" which the trio twin with passages of totally out there lysergic cosmicness, Anthony's vocals, buried deep in the mix, may be barely legible here but the same cannot be said about his guitar work which is an intriguing mix of form and dissonance that cuts through its surrounding miasma of rhythmic noise like a ceremonial dagger through a sacrificial virgin. Following number "No Time No Space" would probably be the most radio friendly song Demonio have ever put together if it were not for its face melting guitar solo while "Jam For The Blood Sun", an exhilarating instrumental that gives Anthony an excuse for channelling his inner Hendrix, would probably never make it past the doors of a radio station let alone get on its playlist. Matteo's bass and Paolo's drums anchor down a funk(ish) 70's proto-metal/hard rock groove for title track "Acid Rain" with Anthony taking the "acid" part of the songs title as his cue to accompany his sneery vocals with the sort of guitar pyrotechnics that are fast becoming a rarity these days. Final track "Maha Kali", another instrumental, is a hazy, crazy heavy psych/acid blues work out that undulates between explosive heavy bluesiness and laid back cosmic funkiness.
Non-fans of the Italian acid doom/scuzz scene will no doubt be happy to point out the musical similarities many of the bands inhabiting the sub-genre share and will sagely try to convince anyone listening that all that fuzz and distortion is just a way of masking a lack of musical ability., Fans of the scene, of which there are many, however will not care what others may say because they know that albums like Demonio's "Acid Rain" are not aimed at musos who want to dissect every lick or phrase and find "meaning" in every note, they understand that this music is aimed at those who like nothing more than screaming guitar solos that crumble into dissonance, vocals so low in the mix they are almost unintelligible and a groove that is like being hit hard in the face with a wet fish. These fans also understand that for all its fuzziness and distortion Demonio's "Acid Rain" is, at the end of the day, only rock'n'roll ......and they like it!
Check it out ....
No comments:
Post a Comment