Chrome Hoof- Chrome Black Gold (2013)
Chrome Hoof- Chrome Black Gold (2013)
Chrome Hoof
arrives nearly at the end of the year and bring us one of the most amazing
recordings of 2013, this band knows no limit to their musical approach, call it
progressive, call it disco, call it electronic, I don’t know, but the results
speak for themselves, and boy, they speak so loudly, opener Enter The Drobe
possess that minimalistic insistence we know from Phillip Glass records, and
that’s just before and amazing Neil Peart drum like part starts, and the prog rock reigns supreme, part Genesis,
part another thing, but don’t dismiss Chrome Hoof as another prog rock band,
they are definitely something else, as drum and bass, along with keyboards take
full priority on the beginning, a monstrous musical combo, not different to
Magma or Funkadelic, but in a class all of their own, as they are not afraid of
cranking the volume and of bringing some serious heavy guitars for moments,
Knopheria sounds really like a powerful mix of disco and prog, imagine Daft Punk last record, but done in a more serious and
ambitious way, recreating 70s prog ambitious and over the top fantasies and
clashing them with disco flashing beats, a powerful and attractive mix,
innovative from head to toe and addictive for those who really want to hear
something else.
When The
Lightning Strikes could put Metallica to shame in their glory days of …And
Justice For All, as complexity becomes the norm here, impressive drumming work
and a demolishing bass really create a cohesive and striking work here, it’s no
surprise that bassist and drummer come from the world of death metal, while
vocals soar high perfectly matched by the instrumental syncopation, French
Kobayian masters Magma come immediately to mind, no Wagnerian chorus here, but
amazing musicianship gorgeously displayed and the euro vocals of singer Shingai
Shoniwa clearly give this amazing palette of sound even more versatility.
Krautrock
is distilled on Kestrel Dawn, as bass keyboards take the spot and repeat
themselves like endlessly, given the tune sense of the robotic and the
futuristic, something that obviously goes hand to hand to the Chrome Hoof
aesthetic, and once again Torture Craft is a piece that take us by surprise,
post punk in its nature, more pop than metal or prog, show us another appealing side to this really complex
equation, while Ultimate Sealed Unit display greater prog leanings as the tune starts to reveal slowly into a
sophisticated dynamically driven electronic piece, guitars are latter added to
the mix as the piece could become a perfect companion to a ride on a highway,
and the becoming a thrashing funk thanks to its powerful lurking bass
interchanged with amazing metal guitars in full display that kind of remind me
of the great Voivod, as some serious head banging stuff is developed here.
I`m still
seriously blown away by the futuristic funk of Exo Spektral, with Shoniwa
sometimes Nina Hagenesque vocals here
that once again add an Euro gelid touch to the song, while Varkada Blues give
us a ride thru really brutish musical passages as drums and bass set the mode
and the bass player unmask his anomaly by reveling us that Carcass Jeff Walker
is the one providing the amazing bass during the record, and on this particular
tune, Walker also has the chance to sign in his trademark growling and simply
leaving us in shock and awe after so much territory conquered by a single
record, and once Walker vocals are added to Shoniwa we are really conquered by
a record completely fearless of invention, of innovation, of experimentalist tendencies
that go way beyond some of our wildest dreams.
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