Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Grizl
Label: Multi Records
Release: 2015
Rating: 3/5
Grizl are a relatively new outfit from the Krško-Brežice area, but also a crew of seasoned musicians. Their studio debut »17 mečev« brings to the Slovenian music scene a band that swears by the legacy of old-school rock’n’roll and hard rock, which, given the general shortage of such bands on home turf, is more than welcome. Especially considering that, genre-wise, this scene here, with the occasional bright spark, is literally just barely hanging on.
One interesting thing about the band is that half of the lineup is the rhythm section of the notorious kings of the Slovenian alternative underground, Demolition Group, namely brothers Ivica and Tomi Gregl. Let me say up front that in terms of sound, Grizl and Demolition Group have absolutely nothing in common. Just that they record in the same studio and rehearse in the same space. Joining them on keys is Matjaž Predanič, who evidently found himself without a proper musical gig after Broken Arrow went on an extended break. He’s an excellent musician, equipped with an excellent voice and command of several instruments. The central figure, meaning vocals and guitar, belongs to Zoran Zlatič in Grizl.
»17 mečev« is an album forged in typical Slovenian style. That is, by the perception of the genre called hard rock that rules on Slovenian soil. Roughly speaking, we could slot them somewhere into the league represented by Ajdovščina’s Pelhan, and also the more sophisticated and laid-back Brežice crew Broken Arrow, but even that description is too loose! Grizl have their own musical story.
The album doesn’t hide its ambition, fire and heart in the performance itself. At the same time, the material still carries quite a few reserves of expression and substance. In the arrangements you can feel that the keyboards (mostly Hammond sounds) dominate the guitar. At every turn. In building the riff curtain (backing the vocals), as well as in the instrumental middle sections, where the guitar solos are fairly restrained and less expressive than you’d expect given the longevity of this genre and, not least, its development over the decades, in which practically everything has already been said. That’s why the expectations for every release like »17 mečev« are that much higher. The way the lyrics, or the words themselves, are laid onto the melody line the lead vocal takes in the verses also carries some naivety that could be polished and built upon in the future, drawing even more convincing delivery and feeling out of the vocals in the process.
All in all, »17 mečev« is still a quality debut document, with which the band can proudly and confidently play Slovenian stages and successfully take care of its own promotion. After all, dabbling in elements of classic hard rock these days takes a great deal of courage, which is commendable. And as already said, with their arrival on the scene Grizl gratefully fill the decimated ranks of the Slovenian hard rock infantry. The band’s ambitious debut certainly foreshadows an evolutionary step up in the future. On the album the band carries its own sentiment and charisma, which are already noticeable enough at the very start of their career, and that’s the essential cornerstone of the band’s healthy creative future.
Lineup
Zoran Zlatič – guitar and vocals
Matjaž Predanič – keyboards
Ivica Gregel – drums
Tomi Gregel – bass guitar
Production
Grizl
Track list
1. V mojih žilah
2. Lovec in plen
3. Dotik je dovolj
4. Nimaš moči
5. Ogrlica
6. Vzemi me zdaj
7. 17 mečev
8. Sladek plin
9. Sestra
10. Spreman
11. Zadnja bitka
