Artist: Markonee 
   Title: See The Thunder
   Label: Escape Music

In a world of pigeon holed music, the bands that deliver good honest no nonsense rock n' roll seem to get left behind.  But one band that is going all out to push that good time rock vibe are Italian rockers Markonee.  The band released their debut album 'The Spirit of Radio', a concept album based around the invention of the radio by Gugliemo Marconi, hence the band's name.

But this new opus isn’t a concept album, this is great Hard Rock full of melody, punchy guitar riffs and a powerhouse vocal courtesy of Gabriele Gozzi.  From the opening chords of opener ‘Way 2 Go’ I knew I was gonna like this album.  This is the type of Hard Rock I love.  Big and bouncy guitar licks with a huge back beat from Ivano Zanotti on drums and Luigi Frati on bass guitar, this together with Gozzi at the mike all goes to make this a real corker of an opener.

The rockin’ just keeps on coming as the album keeps the momentum going with ‘Women & Whiskey’, again featuring big chunky driven guitars throughout provide by Stefano Peresson and Carlo Bevilacqua.  This song again rocks big style with Gozzi coming across like a mix between Steven Pearcy and Steve Lee.

The title track ‘See The Thunder’ roars out from the blocks, this is one is pure arena rock at it’s finest and reminds me very much of Europe in its song structure.  If I’m going into the realm of "sound likes" then the next one ‘Shores Of Another Sea’ reminds me of The Little Angels, with Gozzi doing a damned good Toby Jepson on this one.

Where as the 'Big K’ is all Markonee big licks and no tricks, just good great rock n' roll.  As is the fantastic ‘The Cross Between The Lines’, which is where the band turn it up a notch and really rock out big style.

The band go old school with the nest song ‘Brand New Day’.  This is what I’m talking about when I say good time rock n' roll.  Music that takes you away from the day to day grind, when you use music as an escape just as it should be.  No political agenda’s, no hidden text, just music you want to listen to again and again.  The same can be said for the excellent ‘Back On Me’.

Any band worth their salt in this genre has to have at least one decent ballad on their album and Markonee have a great one in ‘Cherry Blossom’, which leads nicely into the oddly titled ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’, which despite the title is again just a great rock track from a great rock album.  Enough said!

 

Tracklisting:

01. Way 2 Go
02. Women & Whiskey
03. See The Thunder
04. Shore Of Another Sea
05. The Big K
06. The Cross Between The Lines
07. Brand New Day
08. Back On Me
09. Cherry Blossom
10. I Believe In Father Christmas

 

                  

 

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