Lord Elephant – Cosmic Awakening
Release Date: 8th July 2022
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Bandcamp
Genre: Post-Metal, Space Rock, Stoner Rock.
FFO: Syberia, Russian Circles, Kyuss.
Review By: Jason James
There’s a question that I’ve asked on a few occasions now that I need answering. What is going on in the Italian metal scene? Has it always been this prolific, or is it a recent phenomenon? There seems to be an explosion of bands breaking out. And I, for one, am glad of it!
The 8th of July brings another one to the fore, Lord Elephant. The trio, consisting of Leandro Gaccione on Guitar, Edoardo De Nardi on Bass and Tommaso Urzino on Drums, release their debut album, Cosmic Awakening. According to their info, this album has been 5 years in the making. What we get is a confident record from a band making great strides to cement a place in metal history alongside other notable instrumental metal groups.
As you would expect with this being an instrumental album, the music stands front and centre. Leandro’s precise and dramatic riffs have the dual role of storyteller and guide through the unique musical landscape, and achieves both admirably, accompanied brilliantly by Edoardo’s grumbling bass and Tommaso’s energetic drums.
The music conjures up images in my mind of a collection of like-minded individuals driving an assortment of vehicles across a dusty, barren landscape on a pilgrimage of self-discovery. Or a lone guy in an American muscle car on a self-destructive revenge mission along moonlit blacktop, flames spitting from the growling exhaust. The songs effortlessly meld together into a beautiful cacophony, and before you know it, 8 tracks and 43 pleasurable minutes is over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It’s a great counterpart to whatever you’re doing or not doing. Working, walking or wistfully daydreaming, this album fits in nicely. Whether the guys can carry on this momentum is still to be seen, but they’ve set themselves up for success in the best way possible.
(4.5 / 5)
