THE GREAT DIVIDE – Higher (2022)
“Higher” is the new album from Italian hard rockers THE GREAT DIVIDE, their second overall. The Great Divide formed in 2011 when Pier Paolo Cianca (guitar), Vladimiro Melchiorre (drums), Alessio Ripani (bass) and the Italian-American singer songwriter Gino Maradé (lead vocals) started playing together in the outskirts of Rome. All are music teachers and session musicians, so expect an oiled combo here.
Musically they bring to the table the hard rock sound of the ’90s served with a modern approach, mixing the American and European styles of the genre with heavy striations and lots of groove in this album.
“Higher” is a work characterized by an elevated quality of execution, whose outcome is a clean and full sound. Another interesting feature of the album (which is revealing with regard to the band’s technical proficiency) is its internal consistency: although the tracks display a considerable degree of nuance, the sound of the band remains clearly identifiable.
They start with the punchy ‘Speed’ a good example of the band’s powerful Rock N’ Roll, guitar driven hard rock, followed by the more Americanized ‘No Doubt’, more melodic, with an inspired solo.
At places ‘Broadway’ bring to mind 2000’s Alice Cooper with its sharp and heavier riffing; there’s no shortage of melody when it needs.
The music lilt and swagger in a dance rhythm on ‘Rebirth’, while there’s more atmospheres and growing emotion on ‘Lines’. I hear a little of Velvet Revolver on ‘Hell Scar’, then the album ends with ‘Stay’ which starts with a sweet arpeggio but evolve into an uptempo rocker – the closest to a ballad of you’ll find on the album.
The Great Divide brings to life the hard rock sound of the 90s with an original and overflowing character, worthy of bands that currently play main stages around Europe and the United States. There isn’t many bands today playing this sub-genre, and these Italians are very good at it.
A really interesting release that is well worth checking out for anyone enjoying the straightforward hard rock music with melody & groove, good lyrics and potent production
Highly Recommended
01 – Speed
02 – No Doubt
03 – Broadway
04 – Everything Is Ruined
05 – Rebirth
06 – Lines
07 – Hell Scar
08 – Piece of Me
09 – Clearly
10 – Stay
Mauro Pala – vocals
Pier Paolo Cianca – guitar, backing vocals
Gabriele Sorrentino – guitar, backing vocals
Vladimiro Melchiorre – drums
Alessio Ripani – bass
BUY
bandzai.eu/en/crew/artisti/tgd/
