| CD REVIEW Güru |
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Band : Güru This Barcelona based Spanish '80s Melodic Hard Rock styled act was formed in 2007 by session musicians Pau Sastre (lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar) and David Palau (lead guitar, backing & lead vocals), completing the band by recruiting Jordi Vericat on bass and Toni Mateos on drums (the latter also session musicians). There's not a lot I could find about the band's feats through their history, but that's possibly in part due to the fact that I could not log onto the band's website (www.) gururockband.com (needs downloading a new version of Abode Flash Player, which is something my network pc won't allow me to do), but from small details I was able to ascertain that the guitarists occasionally go on stage as a duo. Also, the band played support in Barcelona to former Survivor frontman Jimi Jamison in December 2009, participated in the 2010 band contest Rock In Rio (no idea if they won or even came close), and played at the Madrid festival Melodic Fest II in January 2011. There must've been other “important” moments (gigs) in the band's career, I'm sure, but due to the limited info available to me, this is all I can tell you! Well, except that the band spent time time at Divertimento Studio (and some at Aurha Studio for part of the drum recordings) between February 2009 and January 2010 to record the 6 songs of their self-titled debut album. May seem a long time, but I suppose the guys had to make due with when the studio was available. At any rate the time was well-spent, because the result stands like a rock...and shows a very versatile band indeed. Opening track “Addictive Love” shows the band in a somewhat Funky mood, and adding horns to the fray. The ensuing “Sometimes” then, is a keyboard-driven melodic ballad/ Rocker, the kind bands like Toto, Survivor, and others of that era would have thrown at you...or would've been proud to have written themselves. There's some wacky synth sounds to “Flavour Of Desire”, and a harder edge to the electric guitar as well, but the whole remains melodic in the first place! The calmer “Staring At Your Door” ca be considered the real ballad of the album, and there's definitely some Jazzy undertones in the track's drums. But the ensuining “I Just Can't Get Away” combines the elements of Jazz, Funk, and Melodic Hard Rock even better! Album closer “No More Time” finishes the album anew in that typical '80s keyboard-driven Hard Rock style. Of course, good music ain't everything, because a band still needs a god singer...and that's exactly what the band has in Sastre and Palau (the second apparently occasionally taking over lead vocals – not sure if that happened on this album, but his backing vocals are sure nice enough. Nice? I meant great, of course, and not just “for a Spanish” band either! Oh well, you can make sure about these praising words by simply surfing to (www.) myspace.com/guruofficial, where the band posted 4 of the 6 songs on this album, and an additional non-album track, alongside 8 live videos (3 of which of non-album tracks). Great band, this Güru, and definitely one deserving to break out of the Iberian peninsula. With this type of music, which is oh-so reminiscent to the Melodic Hard Rock scene of the '80s, that should not be too hard a feat. Then again...opportunity woùld have to come a-knocking, right? 92/100 Tony. |
