With
an album cover infused with zealous fire and flames, can the music contained
within be as hot to trot? Or not!? This Italian lads' debut relies largely on
catchy riffage and anthemic choruses to assist a quirky power rock form deliver
its kick in the goolies.
Opening with "Burning" is a rational choice, as its joyful generic
melodic hooks are memorable enough but unfortunately detectably thinner than
ensuing tracks. "Black Rose" is better. A power driven weepy with
teasingly slow heavy beats. Synths and a dark gothic touch weft to generate
a mode that is unusually haunting, finalised with large bittersweet harmonic
vocal choruses, it slips fortuitously into Christmas Carol hard rock!!
"I.N.F.I.L.A. (Song for Mercury)" is a pop power rock ballad whose
Queen esq. structure and Brian May inspired guitar solo is a charming tribute
to Fred. Track 8 "Quick Fix", despite being irritatingly simplistic
and initially dismissible, is probably my favourite track. Its swaggering traditional
hard rock melody and emblematic solo nod the head and perk up the gaiety before
the dying riff dwindles away in playful acoustic merriment.
Some experimental noise
is peppered throughout most tracks. Laser beams, electro flutes and super sonic
noise are bizarre additions to the pop. It's difficult not to feel delight for
this sweet racket; a lot of work has gone into it. I ended up liking it surprisingly
more than I initially wanted to. The glam, Christmas Carolling, heavy rock and
modern day Queen blend at times is perplexing. Whether these moments of radiance
are planned or accidental remains a mystery to me, but I'm not arsed either
way. Those who cannot stomach the stench of cheese may head off pretty quickly.
If you can embrace the cheese with a full set of gnashers, then I would recommend
my fellow boneheads to stick through this, allowing its charm to have its steady
way with you.
by Kiran the Killer
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