Jena - Graboid

My favorite bands like Smoke Blow or Down stopped releasing records, CoC´s new stuff is not like "Clean my Wounds", I never liked Fu Manchu due Scott Hill´s voice. I get really a lot of promo stuff and I write about the music and the bands I like. So this year started well with Jena from Italy. First I listen to the single "Graboid" and I know, it´s nothing new, it was all already there. Anyway, this tune has got something special. The vocals don´t have this US-Dixieland twang, they have this smooth and agressive Italian english twang, the groove is southern rock and sludge and a bit of hardcore. Wow, great, so I waited for the release of the record.

The put 6/7 songs from the record to my playlist. I don´t like the song "At the bottom of the cosmic trench", it´s a trippy and spacy experiment which doesn´t fit in this groovy, heavy and agressive wall of sound which the other songs built of.

I´m more into 3-4 minutes powertunes on the record. 6 killer songs out of 7 on a debut album is a great yield. This band manages to blend their influences to an individual style which is crowned by a remarkable voice and a really powerful production. You have just wait 15 seconds when the opener "1K Riffs Man" kicks off and tears down your roof and your head. The musical direction is obvious: JENA don´t take prisoners. Great record!