KRUK – Be There (2021)
Playing classic hard rock with a true European feel, KRUK’s music certainly draws inspiration from iconic acts such as Deep Purple or Rainbow. On their fifth full-length album “Be There” the band is not afraid of long complex compositions and flirting with more progressive hard rock stylings.
“Be There” sound is quite refreshing in these days of artifice and heavily pro-tooled metal. Opting for the straight-from-the-amp guitar tones inspired in the Eighties augmented with soaring vocals and Hammond B3 and analog-type synths, Kruk clearly are not interested in the vagaries of fashion, and they sound all the better for it.
“Be There” has all the hallmarks of a solid classic rock album – blistering solos, soulful vocals and plenty of energy. The ingredients are all here: crunchy, yet clean guitars breaking often into fret-board burning solos and spot-on Hammond organ adding a dash of class throughout.
In the first half of the Eighties such music would have taken the airwaves by storm, highlighting the fact that people then had far more taste than they were ever credited with.
There’s bluesy inspired moments, others going for more elaborate arrangements like on ‘Prayer Of The Unbeliever (Mother Mary)’ or ‘To Those In Power’, two long numbers but always interesting with its progressive touches.
Kruk are a classic hard rock band who have wisely followed their passion rather than the foibles of fashion. They have balanced their album perfectly with pile-driving blues laden anthems at one end and a few poignant, well-written midtempo tunes at the other.
Highly recommended for fans of the genre with an Euro feeling, especially from the first half of the Eighties.
01 – Rat Race
02 – Hungry For Revenge
03 – Prayer Of The Unbeliever (Mother Mary)
04 – Made Of Stone
05 – The Invisible Enemy
06 – Dark Broken Souls
07 – To Those In Power
08 – Be There (If You Want To)
Wojtek Cugowski – vocals
Piotr Brzychcy – guitars
Dariusz Nawara – drums
Krzysztof Nowak, Maciej Guzy – bass
Michal Kurys – hammond, piano & synthesizer
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www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005T39N8S
