Kasabian
Velociraptor!

If we were dinosaurs, we would be velociraptors. Because we are a pack, we are united, we are a rock band. It's as if we are hunting for the biggest beast, like a great rock 'n' roll band, and we want to eat it, kill it. That's the meaning of Velociraptor.

Two years after "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum" and numerous live shows around the world, the English quartet from Leicester returns, led by the eccentric Sergio Pizzorno (guitar, vocals), alongside as always Tom Meighan (vocals), Chris Edwards (bass), and Ian Matthews (drums).

With their new album "Velociraptor!", the fourth release of a swift and fruitful recording career, the Kasabian, fully confident in their abilities, are ready to definitively conquer the international rock scene. It must not have been easy to move on from the success of "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum", the band's most complete and representative work in certain ways, which managed to create a perfect blend of rock, brit pop, and electronic, with a touch of psychedelia.

To avoid repetition, Sergio Pizzorno and his companions opted for a different path, thus creating an album that in many ways is different not only from its predecessor but also from "Kasabian" and "Empire". "Velociraptor!" immediately captures the listener's attention and is easy to listen to, thanks to direct and strongly melodic songs.

Even the first track on the album "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To", with its vaguely Morricone-style "western" intro, highlights how the band's sound has changed: a more pop sound (in the sense of "popular"), sometimes characterized by cheerful pieces, with melodic and singable choruses ("Goodbye Kiss"), at other times by melancholic, oriental-tinged "ballads" ("La Fee Verte" and "Acid Turkish Bath", sung in this case by Sergio Pizzorno).

The highlight of the album, however, are certainly the two singles, "Days Are Forgotten" and "Switchblade Smiles", and the song "Velociraptor!", in which the band manages to best reconcile the new influences with the sound of the "old Kasabian". This Velociraptor seems to be going full-throttle and running smoothly, but in some episodes, it instead stumbles and seems almost crippled: "I Hear Voices" and "Re-Wired" fail to fully convince, ending up falling into anonymity.

This is perhaps the only flaw of "Velociraptor!": despite many of the songs being undeniably well played, at times you almost get the impression of listening to something that has already been heard. Nonetheless, it must be admitted that overall it's a good album (even if not up to the level of its predecessors), in which good episodes alternate with less convincing songs. In any case, this "Velociraptor!" will certainly make waves and divide the public and critics: on one hand, it will likely win over old Kasabian fans and allow the band to reach a broader audience, but on the other, it will not satisfy the ears of more demanding listeners.

Final rating: 7/10.

Tracklist:

1. "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To"
   
2. "Days Are Forgotten"
   
3. "Goodbye Kiss"
   
4. "La Fée Verte"
   
5. "Velociraptor!"
   
6. "Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter From The Storm)"
   
7. "I Hear Voices"
   
8. "Re-wired"
   
9. "Man Of Simple Pleasures"
   
10. "Switchblade Smiles"
    
11. "Neon Noon"