Germany’s Gran Duca will release their debut album, Beneath Thy Roots, on June 28. The record, which is comprised of 11 tracks and runs a CD-style 55 minutes, finds them clean in their production and clear in their intent, working in a couple different vibes across the not-inconsiderable span. There’s an edge of aggression here and there throughout, from 6:57 opener and longest track (immediate points) “Monstrosity” onward, as heard in cuts like “Howlin’ Rollin'” and the later “House of Fools,” but that comes accompanied by dreamy turns like the early going of “Fields to Plow” and the later interlude “Panta Rhei,” as well as the loud/quiet trades of “Witchwoman” and the boogie-laced “The Walk.” The record’s a little under an hour long. There’s plenty of room for the band to flesh out different ideas, and they take advantage of the opportunity.

In the middle of it all is “All Hail the Autowagen,” for which you’ll find a video premiering below. At 5:59, the centerpiece of the album builds momentum quickly through a careening initial riff laced with fuzz in Johannes Gerber and Hendrik Friedel‘s guitars, while, as they are throughout, bassist Christoph Bextermöller and drummer Felix Hoffmeyer are more than able to handle the turns each progression provides, the former thickening out a tense chug that takes hold at about two minutes in while the snare of the latter punctuates it easily. They dive into a bluesy quiet section around the midpoint — the video earning its multicolor visuals, plus it sounds cool — and gradually build back up to the chorus riff without actually going so far as to bring the whole thing back, keeping basically the second half of the song instrumental. Fair enough to give Gerber a break on vocals, as he’s clearly been working hard belting out verses and hooks across Beneath Thy Roots up to that point, and there’s still plenty more to come, as “Fly with Me” and “House of Fools” demonstrate back-to-back.

The word the PR wire uses that most stands out to me below is “tasteful,” and I think that’s a fair assessment, especially as it’s their first full-length release. One expects that over time they’ll do further work in discovering their individual sound within the sphere of heavy rock and roll, perhaps manifesting more of the underlying bluesy spirit of some of their tracks and growing the nascent dynamic they hint toward here, but those are concerns for the next LP or the one after that. With Beneath Thy Roots, Gran Duca establish themselves as an outfit based on a foundation of songwriting, and as has been shown time and again, once you have that, you can pretty much go anywhere.

Enjoy “All Hail the Autowagen” below:

Gran Duca, “All Hail the Autowagen” video premiere

Gran Duca on “All Hail the Autowagen”:

We are psyched to share our second single and a trippy video to the song “All Hail The Autowagen” with you today! The song is inspired by cracking whips and long drives with our favourite van! One of the most heavy, straight forward grooving but yet psychedelic tracks taken from our upcoming album Beneath Thy Roots, out June 28th! Get your tickets for the trip and enjoy!

Dirty and mean, innovative and intelligent song structures, Germany’s up and coming, mud rock power unit GRAN DUCA are set to release their first full-length album this summer, on June 28th!

Recorded live at ‘Institut für Wohlklangforschung’ by Hannes Huke, GRAN DUCA deliver an exciting mix of raw stoner sounds, complex progressive vibes and a healthy dose of classic rock qualities. 70’s retro tunes and a heavy 90’s groove without platitudes, GRAN DUCA tastefully know how to please the old and new school rock fan! Fuzzy and distorted guitars, thick and deep rhythm lines, raw and authentic vocals, the eleven songs on Beneath Thy Roots are same inventive as catchy.

GRAN DUCA is:
Johannes Gerber (Vocals & Guitar)
Hendrik Friedel (Guitar)
Christoph Bextermöller (Bass)
Felix Hoffmeyer (Drums)

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