Lokruz Premiere “Bullets Hail” Video From Self-Titled Debut Out Nov. 19
Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on October 25th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Greek heavy psychedelicists Lokruz make their self-titled debut through Sound Effect Records on Nov. 19. The band, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Alessandro Castagneri, bassist Christos Chorianopoulos and drummer Thanos Tampakopoulos, make a point to note that the instrumental portion of the six-track/44-minute offering was recorded entirely live sans overdub, vocals added later, and that comes through in the material, along with the fact that Lokruz arrives some seven years after they first got together. That is, playing live to tape, they do not sound like a band who are feeling each other out in terms of chemistry. Where other debuts might be tentative in their execution, Lokruz‘s work is assured in its style. As a band, they know what they want to do.
Castagneri‘s guitar tone is worth a special, specific mention for its warm depth, reminiscent not so much of the late-’60s as of an ideal born thereof. Modernity chasing a classic perfection, and doing it markedly well. Be it in the duly cinematic leadoff “Ennio Pt. 1,” which receives a bookend in the finale, or the more technicolor urgency of “Bullets Hail” or the shimmering jam-leading done in the back half of the 12-minute side A capper “My Naked Pride” — which by the time it gets there has unfolded across several movements touching on heavy progressive psych indeed spanning decades of influence from past to modern and still only beginning to tell part of the band’s own Mediterranean story that “Runaway” will soon continue on side B — guitar serves as the forward element pulling the listener along with the band on their trip through sound, time and place.
Like “Bullets Hail,” “Runaway” has a bit
more of a direct structure — and how could they not include a chase? — bringing start-stop boogie to a stretch-out drift jam, again with Castagneri in the lead position. I’m not taking away from the contributions of Chorianopoulos and Tampakopoulos, mind you; one can’t have a power trio without the power, and that invariably comes from the rhythm section. The shifts in tempo and volume in “Runaway’ as well as the turns in “My Naked Pride” would fall flat entirely without the rhythm section’s solid foundation, and that goes back as well to the band’s this-is-our-first-album-but-we’ve-been-together-for-a-while chemistry. Together, the three-piece create an atmosphere that’s mellow without being boring or staid, and exploratory without getting more lost than they want to be. The penultimate “Man in Hope” starts out quiet and seems poised for a big payoff as the bass fills in spaces left by the guitar in the early verse. Zeppelin at their most spacious, maybe? Whatever you want to trace it to, the vibe ensues as scorch and soul meet in a righteous solo section, that gives over to a few moments of more driving riffery and a graceful finish.
The organic feeling that’s so rampant across Lokruz doesn’t at all dissipate as “Ennio Pt. 2” answers back the ringing ambience of the opener with a more distorted punch behind it, but it is ultimately noise, open reaches and a final crash out that win the day as side B comes to its conclusion. Fair enough, really. There’s a minute to process what’s happening with the platter flip from one side to the other, but the fluidity in Lokruz‘s tracks aren’t to be understated, and their self-titled is all the more complete for the bookend it receives, underlining the thoughtfulness behind all that natural, plugged-in-and-all-this-class-cool-is-just-what-happened spirit that pervades across the songs. In the video for “Bullets Hail” below, the easy-rolling blues of the early riff and the relative shove of the second half are met with dark-space lighting and an on-stage presence given due psychedelic effect. You see silhouettes as much as you see the band, and that’s fine. It’s about the music, so go with that. I seriously doubt you’ll regret it.
More PR wire-ish background follows the video.
Enjoy:
Lokruz, “Bullets Hail” video premiere
Preorder here: https://www.soundeffect-records.gr/lokruz
Due for release on Sound Effect Records November 19th
Sound Effect proudly presents Lokruz! Forged under the hot Mediterranean sun and inspired by the dry and rocky landscape of their native land, Lokruz’s sound is an amalgamation of late ‘60s/early ‘70s heavy-psych and Italian soundtracks of the same era. Their self-titled debut album, recorded live in the studio, is due for release on November 19th on limited edition black and deep purple vinyl.
“The Locrians (Greek: Λοκροί, Locri) were an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region of Locris in Central Greece, around Parnassus. Among others, Ajax the Lesser and Patroclus were the most famous Locrian heroes, both distinguished in the Trojan War.”
The band was born in Athens in 2014 in a basement used as a rehearsal room between beers and homemade grappa, and is composed of 3 members (Alessandro Castagneri guitar/voice, Christos Chorianopoulos bass, Thanos Tampakopoulos drums) all descendants of Locrians: the Lokruz. The name of the band is inspired by the tomb of King Lokros, the legendary progenitor, which is located in Galaxidi where the three musicians usually stay. It is influenced by psychedelic rock, heavy blues, space rock and prog rock of the bands that operate at the turn of the ‘60s and the soundtracks of the same period, but also the indigenous musical tradition and places of myth, ancient and childhood memories made of salt and rocks, sacred mountains and nymphs, scents of thyme and grilled meat, barren landscapes and all shades of blue from the sea to the sky.
The drafting of the pieces of their first work took place in conjunction with the participation in numerous events and concerts in Greece, also automatically determining the way in which the material and therefore the disc would be recorded. The recording sessions took place in the Shakti Studio in Athens mixed by Simon Nikolaidis and lasted three days during which all the material was recorded live with no overdub except for the voices recorded at the SNFCC. The band tried to keep alive the spirit of the psychedelic rock golden years of the power trio bands by recording the whole album live and using only old instruments and equipments from this specific era.
The meeting with, Sound Effects Records’ head honcho, Yiannis Andriopoulos, who embraced the cause of Lokruz, led to the mastering genius Kostas Ekelon post-production treatment at The Cave and the imminent vinyl release.
Tracklisting:
1. Ennio Pt. 1 (4:28)
2. Bullets Hail (6:09)
3. My Naked Pride (12:46)
4. Runaway (7:17)
5. Man in Hope (7:32)
6. Ennio Pt. 2 (5:58)
