Released by: Valery Records
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Hard Rock
Links: www.elektradrive.com
Line Up:
Elio Maugeri – lead vocals, background vocals, rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars
Simone Falovo – lead guitars, acoustic guitars, background vocals
Stefano Turolla – bass, background vocals
Alex Jorio – drums, background vocals
Tracklist:
01. Evil Empire
02. Feed The Ground
03. What We Still Don’t Know
04. Living 4
05. Do It For Everyone
06. Get Power From The Sun
07. Pain
08. Dirty War Of Bloody Angels
09. What You See In What You Get
10. You Are Always On My Mind
11. The Water Diviner
12. In A Superficial Way
13. Fake News
14. Son Of The Universe
Chances are that if I was to ask you about top leading classic Hard Rock band’s of the 80’s, the name of Elektradrive would not be on top of your list of choices. Considering these Italians cracked the scene in the mid 1983 amidst a world haze of many other more commercially driven rock music for the time frame. Al-thought the band never did hit it big here in the USA, overseas they developed a considerable following until the group decided to disband in 1994.
Describing the sound of the band can be a little intricate, they have mixes of old school Pink Floyd, some early Queensryche and a bit textural groove borrowed from King’s X. An interesting sound for the band here as I want to recall some European influences in the Hard Rock scene, a little like some old school Millenium, for those Jorn Lande fans. It has some Scandanavia Hard Rock traces, but it sounds a bit more progressive, a bit like Conception in it’s day but less metal.
Another hint as some of Italy’s rock past coming back into the fold after a nearly 10 years apart. If you ask the guys why they decided to unite back again, they will simply tell you is about the passion to make music again, “passion for music and songwriting”…..is good to see they’re are bands still in this for the right reasons after all.
The songs here structurally are all very melodic and progressive at the same time. Check out the opener “Evil Empire” sounding a bit like “Empire” from the Ryche as it dwells into a super melodic hook soon thereafter. The more straightforward rock spark of “What We Still Don’t Know” gives the disc some variety, but is soon forgotten when the title track crunches it’s way through. The less lackluster bottom half of the record didn’t grab me as much as the quality of the first half, but it’s still a solid showing from a band that had been out of the scene for a long time.
One of the distinctions of the record and the band is the voice of lead singer Elio Maugeri, whose raw and melodic pipes blend very well into the progressive elements the band incorporates into the songs. The quantity of the songs (14) may turn some off, but since the quality of the music is very well done I didn’t really have a fault with any of it. I think for the most part the band’s sticks to they’re original formula with a thanks for bands like Pink Cream 69 for more melodic in parts. I like the record and well worth the wait for fans of the band.
Written by Denys
Ratings Denys 7/10
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