Screaming Headless Torsos
Live!

Anyone approaching rock music will sooner or later have to undergo the initiation rite known as "air guitar", which involves pretending to play, sometimes using makeshift objects like, ahem, a broomstick, a flamboyant solo complete with dramatic and somewhat flashy poses. For fusion fans, the variation on the theme consists of slapping and strumming an invisible bass, syncing head movements with a groove made of insistent and intricate rhythms.

During the hour of listening to this Live!! I challenge anyone to resist tormenting our bass and getting a thumb strain, yes, because the New Yorkers Screaming Headless Torsos are the most engaging and energetic thing I've come across in recent times. Born from the idea of guitarist Dave "Fuzi" Fiuczynski, this band starts where the much-mourned Living Colour left off: super sweaty funky rock but with the needle shifted towards hyper-technical fusion that is never self-serving, full of nods to black music.

Living Colour, Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock and a dash of the Red Hot Chili Peppers from back in the day (but luckily with a real singer), nothing new you might say, but all mixed and drowned in an unusual energy. Firma Ephron on bass, Daniel Sadwonic and Gene Lake on drums and percussion respectively, create a rhythmic wall that if you suffer from seasickness you'll need Travelgum, while Fuze presents himself as the great guitarist he is, a bit Vernon Reid, a bit John McLaughlin, but also influenced by Tom Morello's effects.

However, the true surprise is the singer Dean Bowman, a mountain of a man at two meters tall with a voice that strongly resembles that of... Demetrio Stratos!!! I tried looking online, but to no avail, for any possible interviews because I have the impression that good Dean has thoroughly studied Stratos's solo albums.

Just for now, Word to herb and Hope are a deadly trio of funky/hard rock that Living Colour didn't have time to write, but the band enjoys revisiting and revolutionizing classics by the Beatles (Dig a pony) and Bill Evans (Blue in the green).

The offering is wide-ranging and for a diverse audience: it can captivate progressive lovers for the technical quality put forth by the band but also those who frequent soul, black, or melodic shores. In this melting pot, Screaming skillfully mix their influences, expertly balanced between groove and melody.