Artist: Germinal
Label: Self-released
Release: 2008
Rating: 3.7/5
Germinal, a band from Maribor, formed in 2000 and went through big lineup changes all the way up to 2005. After that the guys settled down and started working on their first album. As it turned out, they set themselves quite a tough task, taking on a concept album about the ups and downs of a rock star. So toward the end of the year we finally got their debut, titled Kaos v rdeči.
You notice big similarities to Siddharta right away. The song structures are very much alike, and so are the guitar riffs, the keyboards and especially the vocals. Germinal are maybe a shade softer, a bit like Bohem. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, except perhaps from a commercial standpoint, since even Siddharta aren’t as popular as they used to be. The band’s biggest trump card is undoubtedly its strong melodic hooks, which show up everywhere. The songs are well put together and get stuck in your head fast.
The guys definitely have what it takes to reach a little higher, since you can sense an art rock streak simmering beneath the surface, which on rare occasions breaks up the hard rock monotony. There are also hints of funk. These extra ingredients are exactly what Germinal could cultivate a bit more in the future, and if they mixed all of that with their natural talent for melody, we’d get something the Slovenian music scene hasn’t seen in a long time. I definitely get the feeling they’re capable of it.
The biggest knock against Germinal is monotony. Almost all the tracks are cut from the same cloth and follow the same patterns. The rhythm is almost always the same or similar, there’s no real dynamics, and there’s a certain amount of sameness in the vocals too. Here and there a longer keyboard passage or a guitar solo adds a little freshness, but mostly they stick to their hard rock riffs. Well, personally that’s a minor complaint for me, because the album is so well built melodically that it just grows on you. You can tell Germinal have a real knack for writing catchy songs, which goes especially for their frontman, Jani Mule.
As for the sound and the playing, I’ve got no complaints. The album is played with confidence and the production is exceptionally polished, which isn’t surprising given that the famous Toni Jurij helped them out. The musicians themselves also proved their chops. The album isn’t exactly technically ambitious, but all the members are clearly quite competent players.
So, Kaos v rdeči is a great melodic record that will mostly click with fans of Siddharta and maybe Bohem, though I feel there’s a bit more substance hiding inside Germinal. They also have a superb feel for melody, which could bring them some bigger commercial success down the road. For me, Kaos v rdeči is definitely worth a listen and a very welcome addition to the Slovenian music scene, where this kind of quality is somewhat in short supply.
Lineup
David Stöger – keyboards, backing vocals
Primož Pavlin – bass
Jani Mule – vocals, guitar
Marko Brvar – drums, backing vocals
Boštjan Zorc – guitar, talk box, backing vocals
Production
Germinal and Toni Jurij
Tracklist
1. Antivip
2. Bit Prestissima
3. Raztur
4. Semena Krivice
5. Odsev
6. Popolni Dan
7. Okamenel
8. Poet
9. Kapljica
10. Plamen
11. Nestinacija
12. Demon
13. Tuje
14. Neskončna
