Heavy psychedelic or ‘70s Space-y Rock Blues? Whatever you want to call it, UK’s reformed trio BRIGHT CURSE (with the latest addition of Max Ternebring on bass) has been stirring the waters of the underground Rock scene for almost 4 years, and now it seems is the right time to present their debut full length, titled “Before The Shore”, which follows their 2013 self-titled EP.
Even though I hadn’t the pleasure to experience their EP at the time it had been released, there was something that instantly draw my attention to BRIGHT CURSE’s sound from the first spins of “Before The Shore” and that is Romain Daut’s retro-sounded yet refreshing vocals with a Heavy Rock attitude. I bet that the moment the album opener “Lady Freedom” will hit the speakers, you’ll swear you’re hearing Magnus Pelander screaming right in the middle of this ‘70s-laden riffage-storm. And of course, the BRIGHT CURSE goodies don’t stop there; the macho intro of “The Shore”, the Blues-y voodoo-sounded atmosphere of “Cheating Pain” and the Rory Gallagher-like Irish breeze of “Candles And Flowers” are solid pieces of evidence that these guys have lots to offer and (why not) change the monotonous, so-called vintage Rock scene, with a style that combines all the good stuff from artists that we love and terribly miss during these flat-music-sounding days. Now is the time to grab your best bourbon, dim the lights, drop this album on your stereo, and take a deep breath as “Northern Sky” will do the rest as a beautiful GRAVEYARD-like Mega-bomb that really is, evolving into a refreshing DEEP PURPLE ‘blast from the past’ moment, and yes, you can blame the colorful keyboards for this.
The ‘70s-loyal riffage of Romain (whose vocals have that Magnus Pelander quality into them I was talking about earlier), the heavy basslines and the organic setup of the entire record flourish through a multi-coloring, stunning result which carries elements of David Gilmour-esque guitarisms, rampaging Iommi-esque riffs and refreshingly effective DEEP PURPLE moments. If you prefer your Rock retro-sounded and old-school setup, then you shouldn’t miss “Before The Shore”. ‘Nuff said.
01. Lady Freedom 04:59
02. The Shore 05:41
03. Cheating Pain 05:24
04. Walking in a Graveyard (Bloody Witch) 05:53
05. Candles and Flowers 06:35
06. Northern Sky 05:02
07. Earth’s Last Song 08:11
Romain Daut – Guitar / Vocals
Max Ternebring – Bass
Zacharie Mizzi – Drums
Additional musicians:
Peter Holland – Backing Vocals on “Cheating Pain”
Edu Bisa Bisogno – Organ on “Northern Sky”