Party Animals

Artist: 
Album Title: 
Light A Fan Cool
Release Date: 
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Review Type: 

This Udine based North-Italian quartet was founded in March 2011 with the idea to play music by the greatest Hard Rock bands of the '80s. But soon enough, and following a couple of minor but important line-up changes, the musicians realize that they have enough ideas of their own to create their own original music, and so by the end of that formation year, the band (then with the stabilized line-up of female singer Sabrina, guitarist “Mad Max, bassist Gian, and female drummer Ile(nia) not only felt secure enough to step out of the rehearsal room and do its first local performances, but also feel a confidence in their own material to enter a studio to record a first 6-track EP entitled Rock 'n' Roll, which is self-released in march 2012.

With positive reception of their EP, the band sets off on a series of shows, and participates to a couple of band contests. Somehow, the quartet even ends up in Los Angeles, where they play memorable shows at the infamous venues Whiskey A Go-Go and Rainbow Bar And Grill on Sunset Strip! Along the way, the band also had the opportunity to play local support slots for bands with some international significance, like the Italian acts Bas Bones and Elvenking, and the American bands Tuff and Lost Angels (the latter a Super-group with a line-up made up from members who made a name for themselves in such historical bands as Cinderella, Alice Cooper, Slash's Snakepit, and White Lion).

Then, after 24 shows together, Sabrina drops the bomb on the others by deciding to leave the band in February 2013, just at a moment when the musicians were getting ready to start composing new songs. While continuing to do that, the remaining trio start looking out for a new frontwoman, and after a short while meet up with Andre(ina) of the well-known act Ravenouse...who decides to become part of the Party Animals family in May. With audiences growing larger and ever more receptive, the band launch a fund raiser video, and following a support slot with Swedish band Thundermother in November, the quartet eventually secludes itself into local Saojo Studios with engineer Riccardo Asquini to record 10 scorching new songs. Meanwhile, Street Symphonies had been put o the band, and in March of last the two parties signed a deal for the release of the band's debut album, the title of which is said to be a wordplay based on the similarity with a Udine expression meaning 'Fuck off!”.

For a couple of really exciting songs off the new album, consult the music player at (www.) streetsymphonies.com. And, that the band had a real positive change of lead singers with the recruitment of Andre, can be ascertained by checking the material posted in the 'YouTube' section at (www.) facebook.com/partyanimals (audio material on 5 of the band's EP's songs can be found in the 'Band Profile' section on that same page). I mean, her slightly hoarse voice somehow fits the band better than the somewhat cleaner voice of her predecessor, and of course she's also much more experienced as a singer, eh? That's something which comes out quite well in those calmer moments on the album (see below)! If one thing hàs to be said about this band, it's that it's got all the good qualities of an '80s Party Hard Rock act: great melodies encased in a heavy Rock frame (with nevertheless also attention for some more sensitive moments – as in the calmer opening “A New Day” and the overall calm “Lace And Spurs”, which doesn't even have electric guitar – making it the album's token ballad), and with the promise of all the (more positive) debaucheries of that era...including endless parties with uncontrolled fun, wild sex and alcohol galore...they should be one hell of a band to come play on your birthday party, indeed!

Oh yeah: something funny I notice is that the 7 first songs on the album find only Ilenia bringing vocal backings (in a very harmonic way too), whereas on the latter 3 songs on the album (“Whiskey Sour”, “Party Animals”, and the album closing title track) the boys also come in! Oh wait, additional help on that track is provided by one Christian PanadeTavano...and elsewhere on the album (second track, “Damned Road”) a guitar solo is done by Riccardo El RatonAsquini (whom also helped out arranging the other songs on the album).

88/100