Artist: RattleSnake
Label: Dallas Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 2.5/5
Another promising band from our own backyard is here. RattleSnake (read: rattlesnake) has hissed and rattled its way in among us to hit hard, shake up the Slovenian mainstream and put things back where they belong. Roughly speaking, RattleSnake offer a simple version of rock n’ roll that’s accessible to the masses, and the band as such is actually a very important figure for the general awareness, since the style they cultivate belongs to the healthy mainstream scene on our soil that we Slovenes once already had in the eighties.
The road to the band’s debut must have been pretty long, thorny and grueling, since there are as many as 14 tracks on the album. They’re short and to the point, with clear, well-crafted motifs and no needless complication, and they’re marked by polish, since the guys obviously filed them down for a long time into a final shape they were happy with. In short: music for a party, music of the streets, which the band’s plain, realistic lyrics point to as well. The guys offer varied songs, and rock n’ roll really is just a rough common denominator in all of it. The album carries an enviable amount of dynamics. The tracks feature polished guitar solos and transitional guitar flourishes that prove the refined musical character of the band’s guitarist. Take the song Mesto, whose middle instrumental part doesn’t hide its flirting with the legacy of Dire Straits, and the short closing guitar outro does the same (especially the tone). The song Vabilo basically presents just the point of RattleSnake’s mission and could easily carry a title taken from the band’s name. Kraljica has a touch of “southern” about it, as far as the guitar solo goes too. The guys have a feel for music and for motifs that grab your attention right away. One of the most enviably put-together songs is, for instance, the track S tabo, and that from head to toe. Its first solo once again carelessly flirts with good old Knopfler.. Then comes an impressive rush through the song Luna, where the organ spices things up and nicely contributes to the heavier overall sound of the whole track. The track is thus very close to classic “hard rock”. That last remark, regarding the mentioned elements, is confirmed by the song Hudič ima moj naslov, which tells of the possibly ruinous influence of women on poor men. RattleSnake certainly don’t hide, here and there, their detours toward the Rolling Stones, seasoned with a good dose of punk dilettantism (Nov dan). The guys also managed to put together an excellent classic “rock” poem, Barje, distinguished by an enticing introductory acoustic, ballad-tinged part with fascinating guitar harmonic interplay. Then the rattlers strike in classic rocker style; the song is one of the album’s peaks in terms of polish, and the guys didn’t forget to season it with a tasteful, moody Celtic motif on the violin. RattleSnake serve up a good dose of goofing around on the album, and to that end they deliver it in its juiciest form in the ska – reggae – punk number Mormoni, with excellent contrasts, which are also brought in by a “honky tonk” piano. They didn’t dodge reviving the “blue suede shoes” tunes either, in Dohtar Blues. The sound is tailored to match, happily whisking you back to the olden “rockabilly” days. The “rhythm n’ blues” number Moram dobit is a new, interesting double approach: “Steve Miller Band meets a Slovenian beer chorus”. The song Hvala is an excellent choice to close the album. It combines a tasteful fusion of orchestration (strings, acoustic guitar, piano) and a rock approach (middle instrumental part). A very inventive, calming way to wind the album down.
The foundations are laid. Where RattleSnake will develop from here is now an interesting question. If they carry on in the direction of raw “three-chord thrashing”, a live and more uncompromising production with sharply tuned, slightly out-of-tune guitars would suit them too. But it’s not that simple, because the sound is richer for keyboards! Let’s be surprised. For a debut, the songs are at a high level, and this is definitely an album that’s very enviable at this point. Dynamic, varied, full of polished, decisive, compact melodies, it carries a live production, and the approach confirms the excellent working chemistry and tightness of the band’s members. A band represented by excellent musicians who know how to put together a riff and a song that fits RattleSnake’s mission. Hit convincingly, and hit right away. They’ve shown their fangs! Let’s hope these guys grow even more in the future and get even more devastatingly wound up. In short, “Razvoj vrste” is a very impressive start to the story of RattleSnake. The start of an evolution that’s worth taking very seriously.
Lineup
Rok Brodnik – vocals
David Stritar – guitar
Zoran Mioković – keyboards
Jure Plahutnik – bass guitar
Toni Habula – drums
Production
David Stritar & RattleSnake
Track list
1. Ogenj al’ led
2. Mesto
3. Vabilo
4. Glej naprej
5. Kraljica
6. S tabo
7. Luna
8. Hudič ima moj naslov
9. Nov dan
10. Barje
11. Mormoni
12. Dohtar Blues
13. Moram dobit
14. Hvala
Album length: 49:45
