Elektradrive
Big City

Cult heroes!!! That's right, I truly believe this definition is the most appropriate to describe what the Turin-based Elektradrive were, and perhaps still are, in the memory of all of us: five classy rockers united by an insane passion for what is commonly called "adult" music. This passion led them to embark on oceanic journeys, which, as history teaches us, ended in nothing, but nonetheless resulted in the creation of three splendid albums. Each of these contributed to elevating the artistic and qualitative value of our hometown band, which, thanks in part to the support of the Japanese Alfa Brunette, managed to reach the hearts and earn the appreciation of all those who live music viscerally, but there it is...

The only standard-bearers on Italian soil, excluding the equally valid and little-known Drama of guitar player Luca Trabanelli, of a sound supported by captivating pompous injections, intriguing guitar licks, and a soft and almost mystical voice like that of maestro Elio Maugeri, Elektradrive only paid the price of releasing their unique studio works under record labels that, upon closer inspection, did not support the artistic inclinations of our guys, leaving them at the mercy of their fate which always turned against them.
Yet, as just mentioned, the potential and artistic peculiarity have always been fundamental elements within our band, which, in a qualitative crescendo, gave life to a trio of albums that, when examined considering their release date, always present us with a band above the fray. They were more focused on the almost frantic search for increasingly sophisticated arrangements and artistic solutions well ahead of their time.

The album of definitive consecration, this is what "Big City" was supposed to and could represent, the third album for Elektradrive, an album that, a few years after the much-celebrated "Due," which received excellent responses from the public but above all from critics, once again confirmed that the class and the melodic sensitivity to which the Piedmontese combo had accustomed us for years had not waned at all. Indeed, thanks to that desire to progress that has always distinguished mastermind Simone Falovo's band, it offers us exciting moments that manage to combine, with a certain level of instrumental skill, the melodic and purely AOR atmospheres of their beginnings with a healthy dose of funky rock not too far removed from what the extraordinary Dan Reed Network proposed in their self-titled debut album and the acclaimed "Slam" a few years later.
Recorded at the prestigious, at least at the time, Dracma studios owned by the eponymous Turin record label, "Big City" is imbued with an elegant and highly professional sound, even for the current times, and thanks to a crystal-clear and powerful production that succeeds in the challenging task of highlighting each instrument equally, giving the eleven tracks present, thirteen in this Japanese version reviewed, that artistic depth and refinement that only overseas big bands had managed to provide up until that moment.

This is an album that, as a whole, manages to highlight the class and compositional taste possessed by this five-piece combo as they effortlessly navigate through the melodic patterns of songs like "Big city" or "Fast as an arrow", both endowed with an irresistible melodic humus and refrain, intentionally devoted to US melodic rock. Guests from Broken Glazz participate in these tracks, reminiscent of mainstream hard rock in a hypothetical hit single's stature. Tracks like "Escape from the rock", which exudes the essence of Dokken, Winger, and White Lion, the playful settings woven by the fast-tempo "Hit man Boogie", a song characterized by a truly commendable ensemble performance, comparable to Van Halen of the past; the grand jazzy reprise marking the finale. Then, we reach the album's true masterpieces, namely the swing resulting from the clash between the raw hard rock of their beginnings and the funky rhythm characterizing the atmosphere of "Latin Lover", complete with a cameo dedicated to the legendary Fred Buscaglione, and the masterpiece "She will be hangin' over", a song that best embodies the desire to shake off all those classifications and ready-made labels that have increasingly taken hold in recent years.

A great album, therefore, truly essential for every good hard rocker worthy of this name, released only in digital format, but difficult to find like every heavy rock album released in our parts. Try requesting it directly from the band, or arm yourself with patience and a few thousand yen and cross your fingers, because who knows if the band's return to the scene might not also bring this magnificent album back to light....