Hailing from California, The New Czars formed in 2009 by musicians who have worked with such legends as Alice Cooper, Buckethead and Bruce Dickinson to name a few. The press sheet states that the band have “fused elements of melodic and progressive rock, hardcore, heavy Metal, funk, pop, avant-garde and industrial rock.” So I was curious to see what this madness consists of.
The intro track, ‘Keep on Going,’ blasts in with some groovy bass-lines and unique vocals. The guitar solo isn’t bad but it’s not great either. The track is ok but I felt I was waiting for something more to kick in, and it got a little repetitive toward the end. Skipping on to the third track, ‘Desperate’ serves up some more bass lines to be proud of, and I enjoyed the softer approach on the middle section.
‘Why Do You Have To Lie’ is a relaxing alternative to the previous tracks, still going with the alternative feel and the catchy chorus is worth a mention! ‘Don’t Watch Me’ is a track that’s pretty much all over the place in terms of experimentally putting the music together, no worries there anyway! It worked like magic. The intro and the solos in the middle section caught my attention straight away and the vocals are nice and clear. Again I love how the bass stands out in these tracks.
I felt like I was almost listening to a completely different band when ‘Time Stops’ came on. Smooth and perfectly clear vocals and a grungy guitar riff. The solo sounds simpler and longer, flattering the more mellow track. ‘Crashed’ jumps in with it’s funky intro riff and it’s the first one that got my feet tapping along. A great use of the wah wah pedal (at least that’s what I think it is, hey I’m no guitar expert!) and the crazy outro which just sounds like they have thrown every instrument at the wall.... but it’s likable!
This sounded like some record producer big wig threw a load of talented musicians from different genres into a room to see what they come up with... Unfortunately it didn’t float my boat. OK, so it’s definitely experimental! Some parts of the album a little too much in the way of ‘what the hell are they doing?’ although some parts worked. Not my bag but if you’re into this kind of wacky guitar tomfoolery then have a slice of this album.
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