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Grand Astoria, The: The Mighty Few

Here is another Russian delight brought to you by the Addicted Label. The Grand Astoria formed in 2009 and have released quite a few albums since culminating with their 2015 album titled The Mighty Few. In case you missed it then please read on.

This is not your ordinary one dimensional heavy rock band. This band really ups the creativity factor and sprinkles many different genres into the mix including blues, jazz, punk, metal and of course psychedelic rock. The disc contains only two tracks but there is still almost fifty minutes of music to sink your ears into. First up is “Curse of the Ninth” referring to a belief during the Romantic period that classical composers were doomed to die during or soon after writing their ninth symphony. It starts with a slow jazzy groove and trippy saxophone. The sound is a bit ethereal and the subtle Rhodes piano adds more texture before the band unleashes an explosion of intense doomy guitar riffs. Awesome guitar solos and great riff progressions give the tune plenty of meat on the bone. When the acoustic guitar enters it's almost a folky sound with some Eastern tones. The flute is another nice touch. It gets heavier as the band gets into a grooving jam session with some pretty experimental excursions but always sounding completely cohesive. Just an excellent epic track. Next is “The Siege” and it is just as good as the band are at their creative best. Up-tempo guitar and synths blend together as wailing guitar solos and off kilter rhythms keep the sound interesting. Soon the band exhibits their bluesy and jazz side locking into a chilled out groove with bubbly Rhodes and esoteric trumpet lines. The vocals are again a big plus as they are melodic and catchy and a perfect match for the music. I love how the band manages to keep things interesting with just two sprawling tracks, no small feat that’s for sure.

Another excellent slice of psychedelic and doom inspired rock music from Russia, a country which is certainly producing some great talent these last few years. Highly recommended.

Track Listing:
1. Curse of the Ninth (28:19)
2. The Siege (21:19)

Added: November 3rd 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 864
Language: english

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