Draven was an act I’ll confess to being entirely ignorant of, never having heard even so much of a rumour of their existence, much less caught them live, the arena in which I believe any band should prove themselves. As such, and without the normal record company blurb arriving with the CD, I was free take the album as it came.
Track one, ‘Blitz’ was a bit of a strange one. The somber voice of a news reader invites the listener to experience “the sounds of mankind”, before effects of gunfire and falling bombs blast out. Then in a completely unexpected turn, the band fire into the sort of funk metal that characterized the likes of Love/Hate or Extreme in the eighties. However, rather then the lyrics of hedonism and parties I might have expected, the upbeat tempo was the backing track for tales of woe, terrorism, and misery, punctuated by reportage sound bites of war, death, and murder. Definitely a combination I’d never heard before, and would never have predicted.
‘Itchy Finger’ builds on the funky sound, but with a simple homage to Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry, snatches of the theme to A Fist Full of Dollars whistling through the verses, an unchallenging and fun combination of simple lyrics and a foot tapping beat.
The CD’s title track, ‘Eden’ is a massive power ballad, layered with a backing of classical strings, the chorus being the sort of massive orchestrated bombast that would sit happily on the soundtrack of a Hollywood blockbuster, playing in the background as a chisel jawed hero surveys the remains of a battlefield. The song even fades out over a sample of thunder and rain. Deep.
Acoustic guitar opening riffs and echo treated vocals continue throughout the album alongside massive productions, reinforcing even more the cinematic feeling of the whole CD, while the 90’s sound of bands like Aerosmith was constantly in the back of my mind as I worked my way through the album. This is not the sort of album I’d ordinarily give much playing time to, preferring as I do heavier thrash and stoner bands. If, however, you hanker for a new, young pretender for Bon Jovi’s target audience, strap on your bandana, put on your Ray Bans, and treat yourself to this album.
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