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KARL DEMATA BAND
www.demata.co.uk
Italian born, although now UK-based, Karl Demata will be known to some as guitarist with post-rock prog crew Crippled Black Phoenix, a supergroup of sorts based on their personnel. Also a member of the seven-piece jazz act The Orange Rabbit Foot Spasm Band (yep, you read that right), and a sporadic session player, he's now unleashed his debut solo offering under the eponymous guise of the Karl Demata Band. Rock/metal journos and industry folk will also know the man through his PR work although his real passion, based on the eleven cuts that comprise 'Cross the Mountain', evidently lies within actually making music than promoting it for the album is chock-full of emotional depth and sincere aural expression through both axe and voice. That's not to say he's not passionate about his PR duties of course, rather that's functional whereas this is art and such a subjective observation is more axiomatic. Stylistically, the majority of the tracks are underpinned by a blues-rock vibe, notably in some of Karl's guitar licks and solos together with the slightly gruff delivery of his vocals, but it would be far too dismissive to label the whole outing as said genre for the song structures offer so much more and transcend their evident roots. Take 'Never Come Around' as an example, a kind of quasi alt-rock/alt-country number, or what some would describe as Americana influenced, which is a finely crafted piece of songwriting and adeptly executed. Even the tracks which are more overtly blues-rock based such as 'Barefoot Walking Blues', as alluded to by its very title, are not purely blues in the standard perception of the genre as they eschew clichés in their actual arrangements and tonality. And everything's performed so well within the confines of some innovatively composed tunes. Karl is joined in this venture by fellow Crippled Black Phoenix members Chris Heilmann on bass and drummer Merijin Royaards but this has been touted as a Karl Demata solo record and it's his performance which is at the forefront on each of the songs. Guitar leads, all flawlessly executed, are used purposefully throughout, dependent on the sonic backdrop over which Karl is soloing. Thus ambient, reverb rich infused, clean slide-guitar licks such as during the mellow mid-section of 'Failing Design' are used to create a particular atmosphere in the context of the track before returning to its heavier beginnings as he switches to a rich Satch-esque tone to slowly build up towards a climactic crescendo. Moments of technical-edged fretboard virtuosity shine through on occasion in Karl's playing but are never overdone, rather it's evident he's honed his soloing skills so the virtuoso in him only lets rip at key points. Restraint is more key to his playing so that lead parts are always purposeful, affective, and melodic. The man can also sing so well - he's not the most technically gifted of singers and I presume that he will never claim to be, but he has a wide range of expression in his voice where he's able to add another layer of raw emotion to the tracks and effectively convey lyrical intent. It would probably be pretentious to label Karl's debut as progressive blues but, ultimately, that's what we're talking here as he manages to inject a whole range of heterogeneous elements into what some might otherwise construe, on a very surface level, to be ostensibly blues-rock. A mightily fine start to his recorded output as a solo artist. Let's hope there's more to follow.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Green Lizard Records
Album
CROSS THE MOUNTAIN
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Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
60:09
RELEASE DATE:
29th August 2011
TRACK LISTING
1) Barefoot Walking Blues
2) Until the End
3) Failing Design
4) Cross the Mountain
5) Never Come Around
6) Hard to Find
7) The Day You Put Me Down
8) Looking Through You
9) Blind Willie McTell
10) Fallen City
11) The Circus Never Comes to Town
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"Stylistically, the majority of the tracks are underpinned by a blues-rock vibe, notably in some of Karl's guitar licks and solos together with the slightly gruff delivery of his vocals, but it would be far too dismissive to label the whole outing as said genre for the song structures offer so much more and transcend their evident roots."
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