Uncut – Blue
Release Date: 6th November 2020
Label: Klonosphere
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Blues Rock, Hard Rock.
FFO: Deep Purple, Clutch, Temperance Movement, Led Zeppelin.
Review By: Paul Franklin
One of the dictionary definitions of Uncut is ‘not diluted or adulterated’, and this is certainly an apt description of the blend of exuberant hard rock and aggressive blues riffs displayed on this debut from the French trio of the same name. Formed in Poitiers in 2016, Alexy Sertillange (vocals/baritone guitar), Enzo Alfano (guitar) and Pablo Fathi (drums), have soaked themselves in the pool of 70’s hard rock and blues. However, upon reemerging, dripping with all the familiar influences, instead of remaining sodden in nostalgia, have chosen to shake themselves like shaggy dog after a swim. A frenzied blur of hair and riffs!
The opening track, Family Blues, beckons you in (literally, as it contains the refrain “Welcome to the family”) and sets the tone for what’s to come – wild and gnarled guitars and howling blues vocals. I don’t know who Deandra is, but she sounds like the girl your parents warned you about, and the fantasy of every hormonal teenage boy! If you survive a night out with her, you will never be the same again.
Starting with track 5, Bee Blues (which sounds exactly the opposite to how its name suggests – not light and flyaway) and ending with Diploducus (which sounds EXACTLY how its name suggests – just google a pic!) the second half of Blue sees the band slow the pace and increase the heaviness. It leaves the songs with a bit of a stoner/blues feel, which whilst showcasing the bands impressive musical ability and the impressive pipes of frontman Alexy, can sometimes result in tracks that are not as engaging as some of the previous ones, case in point Small Steps, which struggles under the weight of all the riffs that piles up on it. The exception in this half being the deliciously degenerate Snake Boogie, which revels in some suitably chunky, coiling riffs.
But, obeying the old adage that you should always save the best till last. Blue ends with the 8-minute magnificence that is The Trap. Starting like Faith No More’s ‘Caralho Voador’, it builds mid-song before ending as Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’, and yes that is as epic as it sounds!
(3.5 / 5)
