Lazy Monster-Blood Will Tell (2011)

Post # 178

Lazy Monster are an independent band from Cantu, Italy, who have just recently recorded their debut album Blood Will Tell. These guys deliver great, upbeat, hard rockin', classic-rock-inspired metal! I have often mentioned that I have always appreciated the late-80's hair metal era, and with Lazy Monster, I can hear some influence from that era in their sound, but with a modern spin on it. Think Buckcherry meets Tesla, or BulletBoys. They also display a 70's-style, classic rock sound at times.

The album kicks off with 'Flight of the Phoenix', a real up-tempo number. The main riff brought back memories of the late 80's right away. Specifically I was reminded of similar sounding riffs of the likes of Dokken, Tesla, or early Queensryche. Then the singer came into the mix and I was thinking he could have been in Deep Purple if he was from that time. The second track, 'Pull the Trigger', slows it down a bit, but the guitars scream through the speakers with the same timeless feel of classic hard-rock. In the middle of the song they cut to a clean-guitar breakdown, showing us some versatility.

The next several tracks keep the album chugging along with a very consistent sound and style. Lazy Monster may be inspired by a classic era from rock music's history, but they use this inspiration to revitalize the essence of rock n' roll in a modern context.

Just when you think you've heard everything in their bag of tricks, the 9th track, their namesake 'Lazy Monster', is a real change of pace for the album. This song is just different enough, that you are forced to give it your full attention. This song has a bit of a haunting feel. Here is where we get a peek at the dark-side of this band. 'Lazy Monster' (the song) proves Lazy Monster (the band) is not just a one-trick pony.

Lastly, the album closes on a high note again, as they hit us with a modernized, heavier interpretation of The Who's classic 'Baba O'Riley'. Can you imagine the synthesized parts of this song shredding out from an electric guitar? They crank out this number with heavy and raw emotion that shows you in one instant their inspiration from the past, and their direction for the future. I'm not sure where Lazy Monster will go from here, but wherever it is, its going to ROCK!

My top picks from Blood Will Tell:
-Flight of the Phoenix (Fast, hard-rocking jam to start the record...)
-Pull The Trigger
-It Is For Me (A mid-tempo number, guitar solo has a lot of groove!)
-Chase It Down The Highway (Another high-tempo rocker. My top pick, if not 'Phoenix')
-Lazy Monster (a little bit of the Dark Side of  the band. A breakdown late in this song fades out to just bass & drum, then the song builds back up.)
-Baba O'Riley (A nice interpretation, a 'must-hear' track!)