Released: April 20, 2024 via self-release PELHAN
Production: Aleš Pelhan and Matjaž Švagelj
Length: 49:05 min.
Genre: Hard Rock
“Hard Rock’n’Roll”
With a killer release party in Ajdovščina on April 20, 2024, the second album from the Ajdovščina band Pelhan saw the light of day. The band is named after its frontman, guitarist and sole songwriter Aleš Pelhan.
After the debut V neznano came out in 2014, things went quiet, thanks to the band members’ various obligations. Parenthood, day jobs, the hellish pace of the modern world. But in 2017 the band started dripping out music videos for individual songs, and by the time the album dropped there were a whole five of them, with a sixth one, the commercially flavored Prvi ples, sung as a duet with Aleš’s wife Ana, arriving just before release.
Besides those six, the album has seven new songs, recorded with the new lineup: Aleš, Matej (bass) and Simon (drums). The latter two are well-known fixtures of the Ajdovščina HC scene. Right before the album release gig, Peter (keys) from the Postojna prog-power band Divine Illusion also rejoined the band.
The sound and content of the album are a breath of fresh air and a real enrichment for the rather poor Slovenian hard rock scene. As a songwriter, Aleš isn’t one-dimensional, and his compositions swing between the two extremes of the hard rock spectrum. On one side you get the welcome, thoroughly metalized stuff like Narava kaže zobe and Na dnu flaše, and on the other, tenderly pathetic outbursts like Vsem vse and Priznam. In between, he throws in an experiment or two for spice (Karavana sedmih zmajev).
I have to praise the lyrics, which manage to steer clear of clichés fairly well. The vocabulary and metaphors are skillfully used, and the subject matter is varied too. As a true Primorec, Aleš can’t escape the ups and downs of indulging in intoxicating drops, which he describes with feeling and humor in three songs, among which Na dnu flaše stands out with its gloomy theme and heavy riff. Speaking of riffs, Aleš is an excellent guitarist. His riffing (rooted in the blues tradition) and solos let the imagination run free, which often leads to interesting solutions. The opening and main riff in Ne grem domov is a case in point. The rhythm section is tight, the rhythms fit the musical heritage, and every now and then they deliver something extra, like the genius idea of having a different rhythmic bed under each of the three choruses of the dark semi-ballad Za naju dva.
The band’s punch in the heavier compositions deserves every bit of praise, and so does the noble pathos of Aleš’s vocal delivery in the softer numbers. Several songs have the potential to become mass hits, with melodic choruses and easy-to-remember tunes (Somrak, Zgrabi me).
The production was handled by Aleš himself with the help of old hand Matjaž Švagelj. The guitars growl with punch, the bass fills out the sonic picture nicely, and the drums, in the style of the good old legends from Australia, hold the groove like Neostik glue. I can’t skip the fantastic backing vocals, which add new dimensions in just the right places. A healthy number of guest musicians, the most prominent being Mirko Vuksanović (Avtomobili) on the song Mrzlo pivo na soncu, round out the sound in a tasteful manner.
If I have one gripe, it’s the production of Aleš’s vocals, which come across as a lot less distinctive than live, not to say weak. The guy is a real vocal beast, who rules the stage with strong accents and without a single missed note.
At its core, the album is a proper little local hard rock classic that should find its place on the airwaves and on stages all over Slovenia. Maybe the guys get pulled a bit too far into the waters of Primorska coastal rock lingo from time to time (think Kocjančič, Mef), or even onto the seaside terrace (Priznam), but that’s a matter of personal taste.
I definitely expect and hope that this album marks the start of regular songwriting and gigging, because the rock stages all over Slovenia could use something other than fans of Indian philosophy, seekers of giant mythological creatures, or aging kids without fathers.
Very good.
Sweet treats: Za naju dva, Narava kaže zobe, Somrak, Na dnu flaše
8/10
Author: Igorac
Track list:
1. Zgrabi me (3:39)
2. Somrak (3:36)
3. Za naju dva (3:37)
4. Ena in edina (3:09)
5. Vsem vse (4:38)
6. Narava kaže zobe (5:13)
7. Mrzlo pivo na soncu (3:23)
8. Priznam (4:53)
9. Na dnu flaše (4:01)
10. Prvi ples (3:12)
11. Ukradem te z neba (4:04)
12. Karavana sedmih zmajev (2:53)
13. Ne grem domov (2:47)
Musicians:
Aleš Pelhan – vocals, guitar
Matej Likar – bass guitar
Simon Mislej – drums
Peter Smrdel – keyboards (new-old member)
Guest musicians:
A whole sea of them, too many for me to type out…
Technical crew:
Drago Popović – mixing and mastering
Matjaž Švagelj – arrangements for strings, winds and backing vocals
