By: John Slaymaker
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: Europe 27/8/12 USA
Label: Exile on Mainstream/Translation Loss
Lizaveta is a Russian girl’s name meaning consecrated to god. Well god is not on this record coz this band remains consecrated to ROCK! Awesome stuff.
‘7th Direction’ CD//DD//LP tracklisting:
1). The Seventh Direction (4:18)
2). View From The Moon (4:23)
3). Moral Hazard (3:52)
4). Dark Matter (2:12)
5). The Space Between Us (4:25)
6). Z (5:11)
7). Burning Sea Turtles (3:24)
8). One To The Head (3:14)
9). American Dream (CD only) (2:48)
10). Ten Thousand Hours (4:06)
11). Stray Bullet (CD only) (5:34)
12 ). Democracy vs. The Machine (3:19)
13 ). Johnny Otis (4:42)
2). View From The Moon (4:23)
3). Moral Hazard (3:52)
4). Dark Matter (2:12)
5). The Space Between Us (4:25)
6). Z (5:11)
7). Burning Sea Turtles (3:24)
8). One To The Head (3:14)
9). American Dream (CD only) (2:48)
10). Ten Thousand Hours (4:06)
11). Stray Bullet (CD only) (5:34)
12 ). Democracy vs. The Machine (3:19)
13 ). Johnny Otis (4:42)
Stinking Lizaveta is:
Yanni Papadopoulos | Guitars
Alexi Papadopoulos | Upright electric bass
The Review:
This album ‘7th Direction’ is their seventh full length and is released on Exile on Mainstream in Europe and Translation Loss in North America . It was produced by the legend that is Sanford Parker.
From the first few notes you just know that this record is going to be a corker. The first and title track, ‘The 7th Direction’ immediately twists and turns, taking you round the houses in and out of different rooms, like some kind of twisted psychotic estate agent. So many riffs packed into each song that you cannot imagine that most of this record isn’t improvised. The guitar playing is amazing and the bass and drums lay a great foundation for groove, so tight but they have been doing this together now for the last 18 years. 13 tracks over 50+ mins, this band has enough material on this one record that would last most ordinary rock bands a whole career.
We continue with ‘View from the Moon’, and at only four and a half minutes, this song takes you there and half way back. ‘Moral hazard’ keeps up the pace with more mega riffs, head banging furiously until the wah induced leads weave in and out. Great guitar effects, not over used but skilfully applied. ‘Dark matter’ the shortest song at just 2.14 mins is another manic lick induced trip. ‘The Space between us’, now this baby is my personal favourite track on the album, a nice clean guitar intro, meandering melodically leading into the most awesome lead break I have heard in a long long time. Amazing control and use of the tremolo bar into some even more ear blistering solo.
‘Z’ continues with the awesome hypnotising guitar expressions. There are so many different themes on this record, and as an instrumental band, you can try to compare them to so many obvious choices, but there really is no pigeon holing them as they completely own their sound.
Another highlight is halfway through ‘One to the head’ where Yanni Papadopoulos truly excels with the lead work, and it’s just hard to imagine any other guitarist being quite so good. Stray bullet with its surf guitar intro is the longest track here, but still has lots of exciting ideas going on, and these continue into the 13th track, the mellow closer ‘Johnny Otis’ named in honour, I think, of the famous band leader and Godfather of rhythm and blues who died earlier this year.
Lizaveta is a Russian girl’s name meaning consecrated to god. Well god is not on this record coz this band remains consecrated to ROCK! Awesome stuff.
Band info: Official
