Kamchatka
The
Search Goes On
Despotz
Records
19
February 2014
The
songs:
1.
Somedays
2.
Tango Decadence
3.
Coast To Coast
4.
Son Of The Sea
5.
Broken Man
6.
Pressure
7.
Cross The Distance
8.
Thank You For Your Time
9.
Dragons
10.
The Search Goes On
The
band:
Thomas"Juneor"Andersson
- vocals and guitar
Tobias
Strandvik - drums
Per
Wiberg - bass guitar, vocals, keyboards
I
first came across these fine Swedish gentlemen by pure coincidence
back in 2007. They opened up for Clutch and The Sword on a couple of
Swedish gigs and I happened to be present when the tour package hit
the club Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg. Everybody, yours truly
included, were blown away by Kamchatka's exceptional talent and their
knack for creating sweet tones. As fantastic as they were then, I
have to sadly admit I lost track of them. A million reasons can be
given for that but that's beside the point because Kamchatka are back
in my life with a truly amazing new album, 'The
Search Must Go On'.
Having
lost longtime bassist, singer and songwriter Roger Örjesson since
the last album, 'Bury Your Roots'
has clearly not affected the band negatively as his replacement, Per
Wiberg, fits in perfectly with his deep thunderous bass playing.
Wiberg, formerly with Opeth, has assisted the band on previous
releases playing keyboards and organs but upon becoming a fulltime
member he switched to the four-string axe.
Taking their cue from
60's and 70's heavy blues, stoner rock and psychedelica infused with
touch of heavy-ass rock, this power trio mesmerizes me track through
track and with each spin new angles presents themselves. To me that's
because the guys seem so relaxed and confident in what they are doing
and since they have the talent to match, the songs are so organic,
free-flowing and absolutely stunning.
The newly formed rhythm
section fires on all cylinders giving frontman "Juneor"
free reign at the guitar and you can tell how much he loves that. The
stuff he pulls off is truly inspiring. Whether it's chugging riffs
via groove to wailing guitar solos his excellene shines
brightly...add to this his excellent voice and you have a flawless
combination! The man sounds like Glenn Hughes in his prime but with a
more bluesy feel and he sends chills down my spine when he hits the
high notes all while making his guitar cry. Regardless of your
musical preferences this is just about as good as it gets
folks...that's all I'm saying!
I'm
getting so many flashbacks listening to 'The
Search Goes On' because this is the
stuff I grew up on but with a modern twist, and I mean that in the
best possible way. Having been raised on Thin Lizzy, UFO, Deep
Purple, Ten Years After as well as blues afficinados like Lightnin'
Hopkins, Kamchatka comes across like a breath of fresh air. If I
close my eyes I'm transported back to my childhood room where
countless hours were spent listening and dissecting the albums I
loved growing up. Most of which I still love. So to discover a band
like Kamchatka who takes the old with the new, blends them together
and like a alchemist make gold, is a revelation. More of this
please...it's fantastic!
Håkan
Nyman
Thanks to Brian at
Fresno Media for sending ourselves a promo of this excellent album to
review. The Search Goes On will be avialable to buy from
Despotz Records from Feb 19th
2014.
Check The Band From Links Below
