Kezia-The Dirty Affair

Logic(Il)Logic Records/Andromeda Dischi
2015

Kezia is an Italian five-piece that was formed in September of 2013 by long-time friends/seasoned musicians Pierlorenzo Molinari (vocals), Antonio Manenti (guitars) and Alberto Armanini (keyboards). The band's current line-up is rounded out by the pair of Fabio Bellini and Michele Longhena (bass and drums respectively) with the 8-track "The Dirty Affair" serving as the group's official debut. This extended EP was recorded, mixed & mastered by Riccardi Frigoni at Studio 57 in Brescia, Italy and it should be noted that the bass parts on the "The Dirty Affair" were performed by Andrea Piovani while the drums were played by Matteo Viganiand. It's also worth noting how quirky Kezia is, but what else would you expect from a band that self-describes it's style as prop-metal? "What exactly is prop-metal?" I hear you asking. Apparently it's whatever this Italian band wants it to be! And that would be (up to and including) a odd combination of "rock, progressive, swing, electro and pop". Or as Kezia puts it "The structure is prog, expanding its melodic variations with pop freshness". Got that? I hope so. Especially seeing as there is going to be a quiz later! In all seriousness, "The Dirty Affair" is more in line with avant-garde rock and the EP likely reflects the distinct tastes and styles of it's band-founders. With Pierlorenzo, Antonio, and Alberto all coming from different (musical) backgrounds the sound of Kezia is every bit as all-encompassing as the various projects and bands that these three were previously involved with! Most of the time this collaboration works out just fine. The fluid chemistry of Pierlorenzo, Antonio, and Alberto is as undeniable as the metallic undercurrent of this 8-track album is. When this trio is in-sync there's a damn nice spark of fire. But when they're not? On those rare occasion it all becomes too much. It's kind of like having the perfect stew and then going out of your way to add in all these exotic ingredients. You may think that these additions will spice up your meal, but in reality you've just ruined a perfectly fine dish. Thankfully the trio behind Kezia know when to pull in the reins and when it let go. In the case of Kezia's debut release there are more good times than bad times which goes a long ways towards making "The Dirty Affair" a recommend pick-up. For more information on this interesting band be sure to check out Kezia's Facebook page or their official website. 

Altitudes & Attitude-Altitudes & Attitude

Megaforce Records
2014

Here's a bit of an odd release and chances are it slipped by most of our readers just as it (almost) slipped right past me. You see Altitudes & Attitude is a side-project of bassists Dave Ellefson and Frank Bello. Now, you should be familiar with those two names but if for some reason you're not then that's David Ellefson of Megadeth and Frank Bello of Anthrax. Long-story short ladies and gentlemen, these two musicians/longtime friends were out traveling the world and doing these clinics (which I guess are now known as "Metal Masters"?) when they struck upon the idea of making a mini-album together. Most of the material was reportedly written while the pair was out on the road and here on their first studio recording Dave and Frank are joined by Jeff Friedl who is also the current drummer of A Perfect Circle. Naturally all the bass parts fall on both Dave and Frank and the pair even shares guitar duties*. But when it comes to the main man behind the mic? Well, then we're talking about one Mr. Bello and he actually do a bang up job singing on "Altitudes & Attitude"! Do you find that hard to believe? Go try on "Booze & Cigarettes" for size and then come back and talk to me about whose taking care of business night and day! With only three songs this could be dubbed either a EP or a single and I believe that it was filed under the latter when I initially  downloaded it off of iTunes. For some reason though this self-titled release from the oddly-named Altitudes & Attitude looks as it has now disappeared from the U.S. version of iTunes, but for future reference you can either download it or purchase a physical copy of it on Amazon. As to whether or not you should take that step really depends upon how you feel about rock and hard rock as that is pretty much what Altitudes & Attitude is all about. Anyone expecting thrash from Dave and Frank should keep on walking. "Altitudes & Attitude" opens strong with the gritty sleaze rocker "Booze & Cigarettes" and then ends the same way with the eighties metal anthem, "Here Again". And no, we are not talking about something akin to early Anthrax on the oh-so-right "Here Again", but rather a fine rocker that pays homage to the American metal movement of the early eighties. Back in the day when U.S. hard rock bands were just starting to light it up as they looked towards their British brothers for inspiration (with stars in their eyes and a gnawing hunger that could only be satisfied by even louder and faster guitar solos!) a nifty little number like "Here Again" would have made a real splash in the pond as they say. It's hard rock plus with the "plus" taking the form of imported British metal LPs and it's as good as (if not better than?) the down and dirty "Booze & Cigarettes". If you're counting though that is only two cuts out of three so what exactly is the missing puzzle piece of this 3-track recording? That would be "Tell the World" and while it isn't exactly a dud it in no way, shape or form holds a candle to the two previously-mentioned numbers that it sandwiches. It simply exists in it's own right, but there is no way whatsoever that it would be enough to discourage me from recommending this short and sweet release! I'd love to hear more from Dave and Frank, but with everything else going on for these two bassists I highly doubt that we'll see anything new from Altitudes & Attitude anytime soon. For more information on this rock/metal side project be sure to check out the group's official website here.


*The stone cold slayer that is "Here Again" features wicked lead guitar work from Gus G. (Firewind, Gus G., Ozzy Osbourne, ex-Arch Enemy (live), ex-Dream Evil, ex-Mystic Prophecy, ex-Nightrage)

Dissorted-I

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Let's face it. We all love traditional heavy metal. It's classic and even timeless (if it's been cooked to absolute  perfection-see works by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept, Riot and UFO to name just a few!) and for many of us it was our first taste of the "forbidden fruit". But sometimes you find yourself craving something more. Something heavier, faster and all around more menacing. We've all had that itch and that's where  a band like Dissorted comes into play. This German band's first EP, "I", scratches that thrash metal itch with a sound that is old-fashioned in all the right ways! First formed in 2004 and having seen their fair share of line-up changes early on, Dissorted came into their own in 2006 at which point a stable line-up had finally become reality. Having already shared the stage with bands such as Awakening Sun, Cyrence, Dust Bolt, Intöxicated, James Rivera’s Sabbath Judas Sabbath, Nator, Scavanger, Secutor, Speedbreaker, Stormhammer and Toxic Waltz (thus building up a loyal fan-base for their particularly deadly take on old-school melodic thrash!), Dissorted kills it on their first piece of studio recording! Fronted by onetime Odeon guitarist' Mirco Ebersold (aka Mirco), with the pair of Sebastian Stulz (ex-South Of Heaven) and Florian "Flo" Schadhauser complimenting Mirco's effective voice by way of fast & frenzied guitar solos that are nothing short of toxic(!), Dissorted seems as if it was costumed-built for those who simply love the classic thrash and the Bay Area scene of old! If you haven't gone into a full-out rage in awhile then  "I" will have you thrashing like a maniac like it was 1980 something all over again! And thank God for that! But, what exactly does it taste like I hear you asking? Well, this deadly-potent (it's got a high alcohol count after all!) home-brew brings to a boil the likes of Overkill, Testament, Exodus, Megadeth, "Kill 'EM All"-era Metallica, Death Angel, Whiplash, Forbidden, Rigor Mortis and Vio-lence before bottling it all up and letting it age to perfection! Just before it's ready to be consumed/thoroughly enjoyed it's uncorked and poured through a filter out of necessity so that all the unnecessary additives can be carefully removed. Said filter features some nice Iced Earth textures and modern day touches with the final (highly addictive) beverage best served pipping hot! That in a nutshell is what you end up with on "I" and yes my friends it is as deliciously drinkable as it all sounds! From one thrash metal fanatic to another this one's an absolute beast on an EP and if Dissorted's potent brand of metallic verwunderung doesn't leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside then friends I sure as hell don't know what will!

https://www.facebook.com/Dissorted
http://www.dissorted.de/