A debut in grand style for Milan's Bloody Mary, who see their first full-length album released by none other than Six Six Six Records, the brand-new label founded by Dave Pybus, former bass player of Anathema and Cradle Of Filth. Makers of a goth rock that owes a great deal to the lesson of HIM and The 69 Eyes, Bloody Mary stand out from the very first bars of this "Blood'n'roll" as a professional, experienced line-up that certainly knows how to put together catchy, hard-hitting songs. The choruses — irresistible, as tradition demands — are without doubt the strong points of what the band offers, always played on simple, incisive melodies and on the warm voice of frontman Aldebran, who has absolutely nothing to envy a Valo or a Jirky. The tracklist is solid and entirely free of weak points: between frantic up-tempos and hushed semi-ballads there is truly something for every taste, and everyone will find their favourite hit. If one wanted to find flaws, one could say that the artwork is not exactly the best and that the band are certainly no monsters of originality… the latter undeniable, but in the light of the quality of the songs here it ends up weighing very little on the final verdict. The quintet knows its business, and how, and at times proves even more engaging than the various greats of the genre. And that's no small thing.
First published in Italian; in English here. Where it appeared ↗