Stavros Papadopoulos leads Greek rockers Super Vintage into their third full length disc, again it's full of bluesy, soul-driven, twin-guitar toting hard rock that bridges the gap between Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd. With a keen ear to the 70's (they started as a covers band) Stavros plays the leads and takes the mic aided by Panagiotis Zabourlis on second guitars and the incredible slide playing.
Together they play some mean riffs and great harmonies that wouldn't sound out of place on a Blackberry Smoke album especially the sunshine sounds of Kiss Your Bad Feelings Goodbye and the dramatic Still Alive.
In the engine room Jim Moralis (bass) and Lazaros Simitis (drums) supply the groove, rich and syrupy like Manuka honey while Stavros' Sammy Hagaresque vocals are bolstered by the soulful backing vocals of Areti Valavanpoulou. Welcome To Mojo Land is a very good album full of searing guitar heroism, whiskey hued vocals, it's heavy in places (Rock N Roll Revolution), funky in others (Let Me Be What I Want To Be) but mostly it's pure rock and roll with a Southern edge and plentiful guitar solos a very good album harking to the glory days of American hard rock. 8/10
In the engine room Jim Moralis (bass) and Lazaros Simitis (drums) supply the groove, rich and syrupy like Manuka honey while Stavros' Sammy Hagaresque vocals are bolstered by the soulful backing vocals of Areti Valavanpoulou. Welcome To Mojo Land is a very good album full of searing guitar heroism, whiskey hued vocals, it's heavy in places (Rock N Roll Revolution), funky in others (Let Me Be What I Want To Be) but mostly it's pure rock and roll with a Southern edge and plentiful guitar solos a very good album harking to the glory days of American hard rock. 8/10
The Mighty N: Retribution (Self Released)
The Mighty N are Athens based alt/progressive rock band or as they call themselves "praggressive" formed by virtuoso musician Natasha Tsirou the band is her own project and pseudonym and is a great showcase for musical talents, she writes all of the music and lyrics, plays the keys and sings on this record, she is so skilled musically, (Natasha is a classically trained pianist and singer) that she was offered a place at the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. She turned it down only to apply to the Conservatorium of Amsterdam, this defiant confidence is reflected in her music having spent time in jazz bands, funk soul bands, numerous collaborations with Greek musicians but her true passion and calling is rock music.
The Mighty N released their first album in December 2013 and now 3 years later their second record Retribution is finished, so what is it like? Well it's a very varied album that draws from a myriad of musical styles with heavyweight grungy riffs reminiscent of Soundgarden, Kill Your Enemies, the musicial experimentation of The Mars Volta, and the jazz crooning of Ella Fitzgerald which is at it's finest on How I End The Show the smoky country flavour, kicks into a great groove as Natasha displays her sultry croon.
The record is chock full of great songs Gone is an acoustic laced, emotive jazzy progger giving Natasha's vocal a real work out with the trippy fade out at the end, Ground Zero is more of a hard rocker but with odd time signatures and led by a cracking bassline while Devils Advocate is swaggering wah fuelled hard rock song with some special help from few male vocalists duetting with Natasha. An interesting album that will make you sit up and take notice. 7/10
Nash B.C: Burning Babylon (Rockshot Records)
Thessaloniki trio Nash B.C are here to make an impact on their debut record, Nash (guitars), George Bacchus (vocals) and Costas Matis (drums) play riff driven hard rock with more than a whiff of sleaze, it's confident, catchy and very modern bringing Alter Bridge heavily to mind, with Nash's riffs particularly impressive balancing heaviness with the melodies to great effect much like Mr Tremonti. the entire sound of this record is bolstered by the production quality which stands up to the usual Valve Studio quality and means that the riffs feel fat and juicy.
The drums are tough and the vocals are gritty and robust. With a handful of good tune Nash B.C do make an impact but too much of this album feels a little like coasting and doesn't keep the attention as it should still there's time for the band to evolve and broaden their musical palate, still the debut has just enough to keep you interested. 6/10
The drums are tough and the vocals are gritty and robust. With a handful of good tune Nash B.C do make an impact but too much of this album feels a little like coasting and doesn't keep the attention as it should still there's time for the band to evolve and broaden their musical palate, still the debut has just enough to keep you interested. 6/10
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