Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Kronika
Label: Self-released
Released: 2016
Running time: 37:01
Rating: 3/5
Kronika are yet another bunch of rock’n’roll youngsters who stride boldly and stubbornly through the amusement park that is the Slovenian rock scene. »Prepovedani sadovi« is their second studio album, and on it the guys from Frankolovo keep showing off their musical face with boldness, confidence and ambition, picking up where their debut “V napačnem letu” (2012) left off.
Genre-wise, you could say Kronika are at heart a rock’n’roll outfit, and they hold on to that identity on the new album. The two guitarists lean toward the old-school hard and heavy rock tradition, laced with bluesy touches, but especially thanks to the vocals (the timbre) and the vocal melodies (the delivery), Kronika keep drifting toward alternative rock territory.
The 10 tracks carry a healthy dose of variety in ideas. After a short, punchy and likably cheeky kick-off in Delirij, Kronika make it clear they can also be »arrangement-wise screwed up«: the flow and straight-up rock directness described above quickly get lost in the very next track, Fukotožje, in a bit of a clash between the chosen motifs on the verse – chorus axis. There are more examples like that later in the album, and they even take the lead.
I like the band’s courage in trying to deliver what the healthy point of rock and roll is after. The right dose of audacity and arrogance can only come from a direct, riff-driven approach to arrangement with no overcomplicating, which is exactly where Kronika still stumble from time to time on the debut. I don’t know the band’s exact vision, but going forward it wouldn’t hurt to channel their energy into more rock fury and let both guitars grab the riffs more radically in the production, because it feels like one guitar is enough for the band when it comes to writing and playing everything. Even though the opening riff reminds you there are two guitars on this album. You can hear the classic split of the riff between the right and left speaker at the start of the record, courtesy of both guitars. The sound is live-sounding, like a gig, and organic. Authentic and warm. Peter Dekleva is simply an unsuspected master of his trade here. From every band, he pulls out the authenticity of its expressive essence at any given moment.
The band serves up a bag of prickly thoughts in its poetry and verses. It doesn’t skimp on »sticky perversions« and hints at temptation, and rock’n’roll demands that too. The vocals should squeeze out more musical variety, as well as adapt the timbre of the voice more to the different situations within the songs themselves (including the message of the lyrics). Sometimes they get pushed through the nose, which deepens the alternative whiff. Unfortunately, the vocals come across as not expressive or dynamic enough, and too uniform in the melodic lines of the singing.
All in all, the album is a quality one, and the band should proudly and worthily present it to audiences on concert stages. As a second step in their career, it cements the status of a band that keeps boldly fighting its way through the Slovenian scene entirely on its own. There’s still some expressive room to grow, and as their musical talents mature, the band will surely keep nurturing and building on the musical record that the album »Prepovedani sadovi« maintains. We wish them luck and creative inspiration.
Lineup
Žan Kovačevič – vocals
Rok Pinter – guitar
Lovro Lah – guitar,
Vid Verdev – bass guitar
Davorin Ulipi – drums
Production
Peter Dekleva
Tracklist
1. Delirij
2. Fukotožje
3. 21 Gramov
4. V bistvu smisla
5. Bluz II
6. Jaz
7. Tina
8. Mlin
9. Tihožitje
10. Svoboda
