The Brisbane Metal Band That Will Blow You Away; Adriatic

Adriatic – Koreni

Let me start by saying that this is going to be a little longer than my regular reviews. With an album this complex and engaging and my personal bias for bands from own hometown of Brisbane, it would be wrong of me to pass over this release too quickly.

I first saw Adriatic play at the Back Room in Brisbane on a bill with some other local metal acts and they totally blew me away. Their intensity and live presence made me an instant fan and on that night I bought my first CD. So it was with excitement that I saw the band was releasing a new album. This is the first time in my life as a music reviewer that I have contacted a band directly and asked if I could review its work. Fortunately for me, Adriatic was only too obliging.

Koreni, due for release on 1^st July, kicks off with the title track and what a track it is. Featuring Reni Bojilov of Bulgarian folk group, Zhiva Voda, Koreni (I) opens with a captivating Middle-Eastern-style vocal line before moving into intense slower metal groove that had me thinking of Rotting Christ and Igorrr. Falling Helplessly In A Dream featuring Simon R-W of Massic is up next and the band introduces the Meshuggah-style riffing and rhythmic complexity that sits at the heart of this album. This is evident in tracks such as Immerse, When Words Mean Nothing (which also contains hints of psychedelic rock in its opening) and Poison Me (II).

But it would be wrong to reduce Adriatic to a band that “only” does complex riffing. They are so much more than this, as is demonstrated in Poison Me (I), a ballad that starts with a juxtaposition of samples of a preacher begging his congregation for money and news of pedophile priests. The track then moves into a kind of rock ballad that wouldn’t be out of place on an Alice in Chains album. The nineties influences don’t stop there – Unbroken featuring Sami S reminded me in its tone and structure of earlier Helmet.  The other standout for me was Against All Odds featuring Jesse N of Regular Gonzales. I was wanting to say something intelligent and insightful about this track, but all that kept springing to mind was “f**king awesome”.

The album ends with Koreni (II) and the track reprises the Middle-Eastern vocals of the opening track, moving through an angular riff workout, before decaying into a wall of eroded noise – the perfect ending to a perfect album.

All I can saw in summary is this – if you are a fan of metal, BUY THIS ALBUM. There is not a weak track here and I know that I will have this on heavy rotation over the coming weeks. If I could give it more, I would, but for now…

Simon says 5 out of 5 stars

Koreni track listing:

1. Koreni (I) ft. Reni Bojilov of Zhiva Voda
2. Falling helplessly in a dream ft. Simon R-W of Massic
3. Immerse
4. When words mean nothing
5. Against all odds ft. Jesse N of Regular Gonzales
6. Poison me (I)
7. Poison me (II)
8. Unbroken ft. Sami S
9. Delusion ft. Dwid Hellion of Integrity
10. Koreni (II) ft. Reni Bojilov of Zhiva Voda

 PRE-SAVE  ADRIATIC