Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Bluerose
Label: Areasonica Records
Release: 2013
Runtime: 35:11
Rating: 4/5
Bluerose are a hard-hitting Italian quartet from Trieste. This year they dropped their second studio album, »Darkness And Light«. Its eight compact, polished tracks swing between heavy metal elements that draw mostly on the old-school fury of the bands that planted the seeds of what became Euro power metal (Accept). You can even draw parallels with NWOBHM acts, though of course you have to factor in the Italian way of approaching metal and rock. So with Bluerose, we’re talking about musical continuity cut in the mold of the Italian tradition, the look and the work of old-school bands like Strana Officina, Steel Criown, Vanexa or Skanners. And into all that old-school metal mix, of course, a pinch of hard rock starting points (Scorpions) is tightly worked in too.
The big strength of this record is how streamlined it is. The band masterfully uses the composing and arranging principle of »less is more«. Every song has a tangible, fully built character (decisive, compact verse-chorus pairings), and the album is held together by an exceptional dynamic in the way the moods are strung together, built on lively lead guitar phrases as the basic figure shaping the compositions. Driving the album, through a dramatic unfolding of events and a gloomy atmosphere you can really sink into, is a remarkably tight crew of four building blocks who breathe for the same cause. You can feel it on a record that doesn’t fall for rookie naivety. It’s an achievement the band can be very proud of.
Most of the new album’s expressive power comes from that solid, unified focus, backed by the musical vision of all four members. The vocals carry the main feeling of darkness, even occultism. The guitar work, especially the woven-in solos and decorative ornaments, is one of the key trump cards that give the album all the credibility of a top-quality achievement. The instrumental mid-sections are superbly equipped for flawless execution of polished guitar solo acrobatics. The solos hit just the right balance between »rally driving«, a result of the soloists showing off their filigree technical polish, and well-placed notes, which keeps a strong, in fact much-needed, stamp of melody in the songs. One of the most doom-laden songs is the title track and opener Darkness And Light. The one that follows already reveals Bluerose’s simultaneous allegiance to the hard rock heritage. That’s Reloaded, which unfolds with a cheekily lewd connotation and for a moment lets go of the opening of the album, charged with metal voltage and bleak feelings. The riffs in this song’s verse are sensibly backed up by the use of a »talk box«, something guitarist Leo Leoni (Gotthard) uses a lot in his own ideas, too. Leaving You serves up some »villainy« in the drama-theater department, even bringing in orchestral arrangements (handled on keyboards). Run is metal-fueled and angry, while more epic bombast shares a home with the excellent closer The Land Of The Light. Rock Your Soul tips the scales back toward the hard rock aesthetic. The songs are often built so that on one side they dig in under riffs of true-believer metal bitterness, while on the other, typical arrangement solutions appear within the same song that bring Bluerose closer to the elements of hard rock.
The production is another big plus of this album. The band took care of it entirely on their own. It’s alive, the guitars carry a venomous bite and form a gloriously grabby, distinctive wall of sound of massive proportions. That wall of riffs firmly embraces the credible stance of the vocal delivery across the whole album. The low end pulses in contrast, and the bass guitar skillfully uses its space, adding extra movement with well-chosen melodies. It’s also really likable that the drums don’t get tangled up in double bass pedal work, which keeps the sound organic. To put it more precisely, the drumming is an element that boosts the retro sound of the album “Darkness And Light”.
The only ungrateful remark is that the vocalist could pay a touch more attention to using proper English in the verses he shapes melodically while singing. Bluerose are hardly a lone case in the world of metal and rock here, so this is a really minor nitpick that, next to everything else we’ve learned about the quality of this record, doesn’t stand out at all and is easily forgiven. So no worries, your ears won’t bleed while listening to »Darkenss And Light«.
The band’s debut “Fallen From Heaven” sounded much more melodic and rock-flavored, so the new album is a carefree move by the band into the hard, dark waters of heavy metal, where vampiric punch, big melodic seductiveness and a feeling of occultism and doom coexist virtuously. »Darkness And Light« is the album on which Bluerose have cemented and further defined their musical platform, gratefully firming up their recognizable musical track and character.
So this is an immensely talented quartet with big potential to break through to a visible spot amid the merciless competition of a sea of bands across the planet trying their hand at similar genre territory. On top of that, Bluerose radiate a streak of instant recognizability in their expressive character. And that’s a big trump card, one the band would do well to nurture in the future and deepen even more. »Darkness And Light« is an album that every fan of classically oriented heavy metal with a prominent hard rock backbone should definitely check out. Bluerose don’t see a dragon in every grasshopper or hunt for gnomes and goblins in every flea. So there’s no fear they’ll serve you some naive children’s fairy tale full of sucrose. There’s no talk of revivalism, just a likable retro sound, tastefully served up in their own recognizable, authored way.
Lineup
Riccardo Scaramelli – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Guliano Seranno – guitar
Guido Lucchese – bass guitar, backing vocals
Cristiano Primosi – drums, percussion
Production
Bluerose
Tracklist
1. Darkness And Light
2. Reloaded
3. Run
4. On My Way
5. I Know
6. Leaving You
7. Rock Your Soul
8. The Land Of The Light
