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░ ██ ██ Artist: Kamchatka ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Long Road Made of Gold █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-01-14 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Classic Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Despotz Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Some albums are immediate while others take a █
█ little longer to work their way into your █
█ subconscious. Blues rockers Kamchatka fell into █
█ the later category as, on first listen, I enjoyed █
█ æLong Road Made Of GoldÆ but it was in a pile of █
█ stuff (If you can have such a thing as a digital █
█ pile) that was competing for my attention. IÆve █
█ learnt over the years that the immediate album can █
█ burn out and fade away very quickly while the slow █
█ grower can stay with you for many years. This may █
█ well turn out to be the case as I find myself █
█ returning to the album on a regular basis, hence █
█ this belated review. █
█ æLong Road Made Of GoldÆÆ is the sixth full length █
█ album from Kamchatka in a career that dates back █
█ over a decade. The Swedish power trio comprises █
█ Thomas æJuneorÆ Andersson (guitar / vocals), █
█ Tobias Strandvik (drums) and bassist (Per █
█ Wilberg). Wilberg is best known for his time █
█ playing keyboards for Metal act Opeth alongside █
█ stints in Spiritual Beggars and Candlemass which █
█ is pretty amazing as his bass work here is superb █
█ and very much an integral part of the Kamchatka █
█ sound. A rock trio will always require the rhythm █
█ section to stretch out and fill the sound when the █
█ guitarist takes a solo, if not; the result is █
█ empty dead air. Sonically the band draws on a █
█ range of influences with obvious power trio █
█ comparisons to Cream and The Jimi Hendrix █
█ Experience but mould this with a range of █
█ progressive and stoner influences. This range of █
█ influences found the band touring with highly █
█ respected blues / stoner act Clutch in Europe and █
█ the USA. █
█ Opener æTake Me Back HomeÆ throws the listener for █
█ an immediate loop with a banjo intro that leads █
█ into a heavy, intricate progressive blues workout █
█ blessed with a solid bottom end that brings to █
█ mind prime early Kings X. The complex æMade Of █
█ GoldÆ is another winner with inventive musical █
█ dexterity as the song shifts 360 degrees for the █
█ solo section. The importance of the rhythm section █
█ I mentioned earlier is highlighted on æRainÆ where █
█ Wilberg steps up to double Andersson as the █
█ guitarist takes an extended solo. The quality of █
█ the musicianship might be lost without the clear █
█ warm production which was mixed and mastered by █
█ Russ Russell better known for extreme metal acts █
█ such as Napalm Death. █
█ The band seem equally happy with the infectiously █
█ catchy, both lyrically and musically, æGet Your █
█ Game OnÆ which was chosen as the first single from █
█ the album with its driving rhythm and short but █
█ sweet solo from Andersson. æLong RoadÆ shows yet █
█ another side of the band as Andersson adds slide █
█ guitar to the mix over rock solid, tribal drums █
█ from Strandvik with more than a little amusement █
█ to be had with the use of percussion. █
█ Kamchatka strove to make a record that owed much █
█ to their musical influences but was relevant in █
█ 2015 and with æLong Road Made Of GoldÆ they have █
█ succeeded. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Take Me Back Home 4:47 ░
░ 2. Get Your Game On 3:30 ░
░ 3. Made of Gold 4:11 ░
░ 4. Human Dynamo 3:07 ░
░ 5. Rain 3:57 ░
░ 6. Who's to Blame 4:24 ░
░ 7. Mirror 3:59 ░
░ 8. Slowly Drifting Away 4:07 ░
░ 9. Long Road 4:44 ░
░ 10. To You 4:54 ░
░ 41:40 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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