Released by : VOICE MUSIC OUT NOW!!
Style: Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal
Links: http://www.myspace.com/madgatorofficial
Tracklist:
1. The Brave Without A Mask
2. Redlines
3. Back To The Highway
4. Hypnotize Her
5. Same Old Magic
6. Kill Some Angels
7. Fome E Seca
8. Eternal Fire
9. Yellowstone
10. Keep Me Comin’
11. Shelley’s Blues
12. Mr. Frankenstein
13. Take Me To The Night
14. Panic At The Swamp
15. Madgator
While MADGATOR as its own entity is a new band releasing their debut album, the actual beginnings of the group can be traced back to the late eighties when they were gigging around Brazil under the original moniker of ALLIGATOR. Back then the band had big problems due to a record deal gone wrong and basically packed up shop and called it a day. 18 years later the guys have decided to have another go around together and edited their name to MADGATOR and have set out to create music inspired by their hard rock heroes of yesteryear.
Classic hard rock is definitely the order of the day here, but it is glossed over with some modern sensibilities and a very modern professional production akin to the grandiose feeling you usually get while listening to a top of the range melodic metal album. The riffing is superb and combines with a very meaty rhythm section, all the while being covered in some very cool lead guitar work, topped off with Andres Recasens’ excellent vocals that are reminiscent of Ronnie James Dio, Jorn Lande, David Coverdale and a few others. Obviously with comparisons like this it is safe to say that the vocals on the album are world class, and this is very true as Andres manages to slightly change his approach from rock to metal and everything in between as the songs demand it.
Speaking of the songs, man is there rippers to be found on the album. Opener THE BRAVE WITHOUT A MASK is a mix of classic metal and hard rock that reminds me a bit of the latter day JORN solo material, and also features a great tribal sounding intro that reminds me of something fellow countrymen SEPULTURA would do. BACK TO THE HIGHWAY is a little bit funkier and shares some sensibilities of melodic rock, all the while still having a melodic metal edge to it. HYPNOTIZE HER sounds like a cross between SKID ROW and GLENN HUGHES and shows yet another side to this varied and interesting band. ETERNAL FIRE features members of fellow Brazilian trash band KORZUZ, and sounds like old-school trash metal mixed with some JUDAS PRIEST.
There are a few other tracks that probably deserve a special mention too, but these are those ones that stuck with me and are also the reason that I keep on listening to this album even though I am finished writing notes down for a review.
I was very impressed with the debut from MADGATOR, and everything from the songwriting, the playing, the production and even the sweet-ass artwork is very professional and should be enough to gain peoples interest. I’m sure they are currently kicking up a storm in their homeland of Brazil, but it’s about time to unleash them on the rest of the world.
Written by Zeezee
Ratings Zeezee 9/10
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