I definitely prefer Moras's (otherwise fine) voice when it's dialled back from full-throttle.
Well, that was a surprise... How many times have you found yourself loving a new album on the first listen, only for it to tail off dramatically at the halfway point? A fair few I'd wager (there's even a well-established practice of putting the "worst" song on an album as the second-from-last track). So, what if I told you that I experienced the very opposite of the aforementioned trend on my first acquaintance with 'See You On The Dark Side'? Listening to early numbers such as 'We Are On Fire' and 'I Wanna Swing Like Peter Parker', I found myself trying to find the best spin (pun intended) on penning prose about songs that I just wasn't fully warming to. Part of the issue is that on Hell In The Club's faster and heavier material, front-man Davide "Dave" Moras's voice becomes reminiscent of Alter Bridge/Slash vocalist Myles Kennedy... whose singing I really can't abide.
Two things that I love in a song – opening electronic burbles and a lurking bass line (courtesy of Andrea "Andy" Buratto) – introduce the anthemic 'Showtime', and suddenly, halfway through the album, I'm in; original, dynamic and with just a hint of 'Adrenalize' era Def Leppard, it goes straight onto my play-list of 2017, no question. From there 'The Misfit' Rocks out in a Black Star Riders fashion, while the moody 'Withered In Venice' showcases a more nuanced side to guitarist Andrea "Picco" Piccardi's plectrum prowess.
I didn't originally clock the eight minute plus running time of 'A Crowded Room', had I, then I still don't think I could have possibly anticipated the breadth of its creative bravura. From sparse vocal/piano opening, through to strident, riff-infused Hard Rock and chugging Metal, though nothing prepares you for the audacious mid-song Queen-like Operatic eccentricity – completely nuts but it works! The final ninety-seconds plays out like The Proms live from an asylum, with an impressive orchestra overlaid with assorted insane babbling.
Listening back to the earlier songs on of 'See You On The Dark Side', I found myself warming more to the likes of 'A Melody, A Memory', with its H.e.a.t-like chorus, and deduced that I definitely prefer Moras's (otherwise fine) voice when it's dialled back from full-throttle. Top marks on the artwork too – I've no idea what's going on with the cover but it's particularly distinctive and cool, much like Hell In The Club at their best.
Caesar Barton
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