Album Of The Week- Alix-"Ground" (2004)

The Album Of The Week is "Ground" by Italian rockers Alix.

"Imagine if PJ Harvey had been let loose on the whole of that Desert Sessions album - and then turned the mother UP. Just how good would that have sounded? Exactly. So meet Alix, guaranteed to burn a short cut straight to your heart with their new album 'Ground' - an exhilarating mix of desert dust trail distortion and the unique, soulful vocals of singer Alice, that looks set to establish the band as a prime, international force to be reckoned with. Bologna native Alice Albertazzi has been making waves in the male-dominated stronghold of heavyweight, Sabbath influenced rock for nearly a decade now. Inspired by a love of psychedelic guitars and thunderous grooves, she formed Alix in 1995. After a handful of line up changes, the singer found a set of kindred spirits in the form of Gianfranco Romanelli (bass/slide guitar), Pippo de Palma (guitar) and Andrea Insulla (drums) who would follow her vision through to the present day. Three albums followed - their self-titled debut 'Alix' (1997) then 'Cuore in Bocca' (1999) and "Nessun Brivido" (2001), all of which were released to critical acclaim. 'Ground' is their finest offering yet, and their English language debut. The trademark grooves are there but the songs and sounds are far tighter, far edgier - from the bluesy stomp of 'Lonely', to the patchouli tinged spin out of 'Love' or the turbulent pulse of the title track - Alix have effortlessly seized the disparate threads of grunge rock, 60's psychedelia, folk, and blues, and twisted them into one addictive sonic boom."



Review:

"Bologna-based Alix have been making a name for themselves as ambassadors of the heavyweight desert groove in their native Italy for close to a decade now, but hopefully 'Ground' - their English language debut - will see them make waves further afield. Setting blues, tripped out drones, and Sabbath dirges against the impassioned vocals of singer Alice Albetazzi, 'Ground' heaves with the kind of down 'n' doomy spirit you had hoped the Auf Der Maur album would have. The fuzzed-out sprawl of 'Fun' hurtles its way towards a psychedelic burnout, while the turbo charged throb of the title track sounds like Soundgarden caught in a distortion hurricane with PJ Harvey. Excellent. (Kerrang! Issue #1025 October 02 - 2004)

Track Listing:

01. Out of The Sighs
02. Ground
03. I'll Be Gone
04. Fun
05. Spirit
06. Like A Flood
07. Take My Hands
08. Lonely
09. Love

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For more information on this incredible band check out their MySpace page.