| CD REVIEW SFT Special: Calibre Zero - Dave Evans - H.O.T. |
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STF Records special: “Dave Evans?”, my editor-in-chief said with a small voice when asking me to put the artist in his right place. And of course I could immediately tell him Evans was the very first AC/DC frontman and I’d done his comeback album Sinner a couple years back…and could I do this one, pretty please (even though we have a specialist into that style of music these days)? Turns out I was lucky, because The Chief had received 4 albums (2 by Evans) by this new label (for us)…and could I do a special around it, perhaps? Well, here I am, and when checking out some info I was somewhat surprised to find out that in fact all 4 albums sent us had been out for a while, and already been followed up with other, more recent releases. Well, far for me to understand the reasons why! Just be pleased to be able to get acquainted with these albums which otherwize might never have come to our attention! Besides, sóme of the reasons would only become apparent after closer ingestion of the available info. -------------------------------------------- The mentioning of the Avispa label above should be enough to let the clever reader suspect we have to do with a Spanish band here, and of course (s)he would be right! Based in Madrid, the band was founded in March 2005 by singer Ricardo Lázaro, when he ensured himself the services of his brother Miguel as guitarist. Starting out with other additional musicians, the current line-up was completed through the joining of bassist Pedro Peláez during Summer 2007, and drummer Antonio Cuenca in January 2008. In their own words, the band then refined their sound, described as “…an explosive mix between the rawness and velocity of Motörhead and Metallica, the dark and heavy sounds of Black Sabbath, and the influence of Spanish Rock bands like Barricada, Baron Rojo, Muro…”. Already with those things in mind, the band had released their demo-CD Asi Es (Come Siempre Sere), which included a video for one of the tracks. With their steady line-up in place, the band returned to the studio (Madrid’s M20, which already saw bands such as Saratoga, Madina Azahara, Mago de Oz, and Hora Zulu – to name but the most important in Spain – pass through for recordings) in June 2008, to record what was to be their debut album Jugando Con Fuego. Indeed, the band signed a deal with Avispa Records, who released the album in October 2008. To promote the album, a video clip was shot for the band’s now staple live track “Rock Hasta Morir”. The band then signed additional deals with German label STF Records (for European release since May 2009) and Ecuadorian label Brutalidad Total (for the South-American territories, starting June 2009). Thanks to the hightened profile of the band due to the release of the official debut album, and the ensuing media attention (interviews in Spain’s most important written and on-line magazines, web and normal radio stations, even a tv-appearance), the band did no less than 25 shows (including some festival appearances during Summer) in their home country to promote the album. The band’s newest album was recorded in June-July of last year, and touring in promotion of the album started in November. I understand the band even did a German tour in support of the album, but I’m not sure when exactly that happened. May be, ‘twas in March, and the label had hoped to give the band some attention back then? Who knows!? At any rate the album is now on our plate, and I’m happy enough for that! In some ways I’m very happy with the band’s own description of their music, although I don’t see where Metallica’s rawness and velocity come in. Most probably, the band members like that band’s music and actually feel influenced by it…but strike me silly if there’s any Thrash Metal at all in this album! Nay, but the music IS fast-paced…and down-tuned! With lyrics sung in well-understandable Spanish! Music lovers interested in the Spanish Heavy Rock scene should therefore have their antennae out, and visit myspace.com/calibrezerorock, where the band has no less than 5 songs off each of their albums for you to enjoy (plus some live footage to boot)! Then get out to your local record store to order the album, if possible, because I’ve no idea whether the label has found a distributor for their albums in Belgium [and that why I’m adding the label’s website: (www.) stf-records.de]. Those happy enough to be able to take early vacations to Spain this year, might consider catching the band on one of its Iberian shows (several already posted for the months of April, May and June) 88/100 -------------------------------------------- The reason for STF Records sending us the Dave Evans promo stuff became clear when I found out the man is touring the UK in May (in fact, dates have already been added). Who knows…a European tour may even be in the making at the moment you read this!?! Regrettably, my review of Dave’s late 2004 comeback album Sinner was posted a month before our website’s computer suffered a crash, and is therefore no longer available for the reader, necessitating my going over the man’s history and career all over again. So…Dave’s parents moved into Australia from Carmathen Wales (UK) when he was 5. Aged 17, he starts off his first band In Session. After moving to Sydney he, Malcolm Young, Colin Burgess, and Larry van Kriedt form an as yet unnamed band. One week later Malcolmm’s younger brother Angus joins the band, and it’s he and sister-in-law Sandra who come up with the name AC/DC. The band did its debut gig on Christmas Eve 1973 and soon gathered a huge following, before recording and releasing their debut single Can I Sit Next To You Girl (with “Rocking In The Parlor” on the b-side). The single raced upwards in the Australian charts, and the band started a inmense tour, which hightened tensions within the band to the point of Dave punching it out with the band’s manager at one moment. A split became inevitable, AC/DC asked Bon Scott to join ‘em, and went on to do their thing… After the split Dave moved to Sydney suburb Newcastle, joining Newcastle’s own Rabbit (no relation to the Trevor Rabin band) in early 1975, with whom he would go on to record 2 albums and one single. The latter with a different line-up as 2 of the original members had left following the tour the band had done for their second album. Having lost the original vibe and drive vibe, Rabbit dissolved in 1978. Dave went on to form Dave Evans And Hot Cockerel, a Heavy 2-guitar Rock act with which he revisited his roots from the AC/DC days. Although the band was real successful (packed larger venues all over Australia) they simply could not get a record deal, because the labels at that time were only signing bands with a sound dominated by synths and very little heavy guitar. Having been turned down for the umptieth time, Dave decided to follow a slightly musical direction, and recruiting a completely new band, he added brass, strings, and a strong harmonic vocal approach to the heavy guitars. This worked, and resulted in the 1985 self-titled Dave Evans And Thunder Down Under album, issued by independent label Reaction Records. When the band split Dave went off music for a while, working as an actor in live theatre and getting roles in a couple of Australian small production movies. In 2000 Thunderstruck (a Sydney based AC/DC tribute band) invited him on stage as a special guest for their 20th anniversary memorial gig for Bon Scott, an event which was recorded and released as the live album A Hell Of A Night by American label Perris Records. Eventually Dave would return to the world of music, releasing the12-track Sinner album through the Cultural Minority label (distributed in Europe through Soul Food in late October 2004)! In 2006 the album signed to US label Destroy All Records and released on American soil, after which Dave relocated to Dallas, Texas…where he formed his backing band The Badasses to start touring all over the US. In 2008 Dave released his 10-track album Judgement Day, which was signed that same year to STF Records. To give the band some media attention for Dave Evans and The Badasses’ European touring in the near future, STF label recently re-issued the Sinner album, with different cover artwork! Stylisically going back again to his Heavy Blues-drenched Rock roots (yeah, yeah, say AC/DC alright!), both album contain a wealth of material which is nevertheless different from his old band thanks to the fact that Dave ain’t such a scream-my-head-off kinda singer, and although he hàs a couple of those moments, his is a far more diverse offering. One exceedingly nice surprise on the Judgement Day album, is the album closing cover of “House Of The Rising Sun”. Incidently, current AC/DC singer Brian Johnson once covered that song as well (on Geordie’s 1974 Don’t Be Fooled By The Name album) and quite frankly, Evans’ version simply Rock the socks off that one, making it pale iin comparison! There IS a small difference of course, in that the Sinner album was recorded with the aid of 3 guitarists, each performing all guitars on which they played. Somehow, that album has perhaps a somewhat more “modern” touch to it in the guitar sound. The Judgement Day album, on the contrary, goes back to a more mid-70s sounding AC/DC, instrumentally. Check out 3 songs off each album by visiting myspace.com/daveevansrocks! The rating underneath counts for the 2 albums combined, and yoù need to keep in mind that my late 2004 rating of Sinner (88/100) still counts. That the average is higher should tell you something about the appreciation I have for the Judgement Day album. 90/100 -------------------------------------------- H.O.T. is short for Hands Of Time, an Orvieto based Italian Hard Rock band with a Heavy touch which was founded in January 2008, when singer Leo Ariel got in contact with guitarist/ backing singer Nicholas Arianni. Both of their respective bands (Italy’s prime Hard Rock act Dafne in the case of Ariel, Rifflessi for Arianni, where he drummed, by the way – Dafne had one album out on Underground Symphony and were about to start writing a new one when the band split…and Rifflessi released 2 mini-albums in the 4 years they were together) had just recently split up. The two started writing songs together and soon felt the need to start performing those in live conditions. So they recruited bassist/ backing singer Paul McHario (whom Arianni had played with in the band Neoterika, 7 years prior) and drummer Jackob (a guy Ariel had met at his girlfriend’s school). The foursome started completing the started songs, wrote new ones together, started organizing gigs for themselves, and by June felt ready to enter a friend’s home studio to record a demo. That demo made some waves with both Italian and European record labels, and soon enough deal proposals were on the table. During Summer 2008 the band did a tour all around the centre of Italy…and after contemplating his personal future the drummer left mid October, tired of the musician’s life. Undaunted, the rest of the gang decided to go on, and only days after Jackob’s departure, Ariel’s old friend from his Dafne days, drummer Nicko Rondinelli, had joined the band, with his debut for the band not even 10 days later on. Soon after, the band compared all the record label deals, and decided on STF Records! Well, I’m sure that anyone having heard even only one song by this band will agree that both musically and vocally, H.O.T. is an extraordinarily gifted band. Those among having already encountered Dafne may have noticed that Ariel has a somewhat weird awkward vocal signature : a rather heady high pitch with a nasal quality, which definitely sets him apart as unique! The other members in the band emphasize this uniqueness by emulating him as well as possible in their harmonic backings (even in those sparce moments when they take over lead vocals for a short passage). On top, their music is highly melodic and catchy, without loosing an inkling of their heavieness. When the band chooses to loose sóme of that heavieness in favour for an overall “softer” approach, the result becomes something as beautiful as the album’s ballad “Very Far Away” (with a focus on the harmonic vocal parts) or semi-ballad “Medicine Girl”, which even incorporates some piano play! Check it out for yourselves by listening to the 5 album songs (including said ballad) posted at myspace.com/handsoftimerock. Other stuff posted there includes a cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the free download single “Before It’s X-Mas”, both of which I was unable to hear due to shortage of time while I was checking for the info. I’m sure it all fits in perfectly with the band’s album material though! Other beautiful moments on the album come with the acoustic “No Time To Say Goodbye”, which is preceeded by an instrumental intro titled “Cigarette Burns” (and followed by the semi-acoustic “The Priest”, which is being electrified in the instrumental passage)…and that other, more energetic, instrumental the album is rich in, namely album closing track “Anthem (In Red)”. By the way, the band also has socio-political views, openly supporting Beppe Grillo in his “fight” to free Italy from nuclear threat…something which they also voice in the album’s opening song “Stand By The Bomb”, and other song titles are suggestive of the band’s opinions on some of the stuff happening in today’s society. All in all, a very nice album, and the reason for STF sending us THIS album became clear to me when I found out that the band is to support Dave Evans during his European tour this Summer! Aha…how nicely things can be fitted together, sometimes! I kinda wonder how they’re gonna pull off recreating the album’s sound without a second guitarist, though! 92/100 Tony. |
