It’s officially spring! As nature came to life again I also found myself curious to see what’s new in the music realm and so I tried to discover something new, fresh, and also a bit distant from the usual “mood” that I search in music. The Vulcan Itch just released their second full length Rise Of The Fallen this week, a groovy rock album with a pinch of Stoner and Noise-Rock influences.
Based in Athens and with two records already out (their EP Trapped In a Cage and the first self-titled album) The Vulcan Itch are ready to come back this March with their new album Rise Of The Fallen, that will be released via The Lab Records (a greek music label founded in 2007 by Stavros X. and Panos M. from The Earthbound, Deus Ex-Machina and other projects).
As the band itself stated in their press sheet, this new album is groovy, more melodic compared to its predecessors, with a background flavour of Stoner and Noise-Rock. To me it’s a good mix of pure energy and good, catchy riffs.
The band mentions bands like Helmet, Mars Red Sky and Alice In Chains as influences, but after a first listening I immediately wanted to add Queens Of The Stone Age and Royal Blood to the list, the vibes of these bands are strong and neatly combined in the personal style of The Vulcan Itch, the more the merrier they say.
Rise Of The Fallen is vigorous from the start, the opening track “Wasted” sets the tone with a captivating riff that immediately got stuck in my mind. There are no moments of calm here, the record seems like a perpetually tireless run through riffs and energetic sound. “Perfect Life” and “Addicted To Dark” are the most melodic tracks of this album, with a strong dynamic and powerful choruses. The middle part of the record shows more Stoner-ish vibes, like in “Now Or Never”, and comes back to an essential Rock song through “Is It Happening” and “Liars and Betrayers”. Going on with the listening more variations are shown, “The Way” and then “So Cold” have a strong appeal (winking at QOTSA). Closing with “Chained Freedom” and “Drowning”, the first may be the only that hadn’t really conquered my heart, seems a little bit weak compared to the rest. The latter is the final shot that closes the record, it may seem more relaxed and psych but is just their way to say goodbye until the next chapter.
Overall, The Rise Of The Fallen is a captivating and well produced record, almost every song could be a lead song or a calling card of the band, the sound is unified and the trio seems well blended. For sure there’s a nostalgic part of me that makes me like them more than the usual love I give to these types of rock bands, which is a good thing in this case.
The energy is evident through the whole album, If you need your dose of power up be sure to give a chance to this band! The Vulcan Itch are coming to Europe soon with Godsleep so if you have the chance be sure to catch them live!
