Heavy acoustic guitar, jazzy drums and guitar shredding, this is how the New York
rockers Alpha Venturi opened their self-titled record with “Sign of Life”. An instrumental acoustic driven piece that has glimpses of the talents they are about to unleash upon you. Pounding energetic drums, groovy dominant basslines, powerful vocals and heavy riffs are the main characters of Alpha Venturi‘s story. It all comes clear with the heavy bass intro of “Stop Running”, its catchy chorus and jazzy pre-solo break, the rocking opening heavy riff of “Lyin”, its classic melodic memorable chorus and intense dynamics. They keep on pushing their boundaries more with “The Shift”, adding some progressive elements to their mix without losing their playful rocking sound with their riffs and melodies. “Break The Hold” kicks in with a different approach with a metalcore riff and unique mix of harsh and clean vocals that I really dig. The riffs keep on progressing towards a heavier sound keeping their rocking groove with a well-balanced structure. “Sweet Serrated Flame” added a bluesy twist to their formula while starting “Shreds”, the record starts taking a totally different turn. “Shreds”, “Broken Line” and “Radiate” took the record to a whole new area introducing new elements with their totally modern sound that I think didn’t fit the record’s flow, they are energetic tunes with lots of cool dynamics, expressive riffs and modern metal sound. I would say they might be my favorites off the record but, from my humble POV, they sounded as if they’ve split the record in two halves, would’ve been more fitting for their next record if they want to go in this direction.
This is a banger debut by Alpha Venturi, it shows a lot of musicianship, good command of their instruments and attention to details. It has a lot of catchy moments and unstoppable dynamics that kept me moving for its whole 44 minutes. Looking forward to more headbanging with Alpha Venturi. Cheers.
