STAMINA – Perseverance (2014)
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STAMINA is the brainchild of Italian songwriter / guitarist Luca Sellitto formed in 2001, and after two albums, the combo is releasing their aptly titled new CD “Perseverance”.
Indeed perseverance is the best word to describe Luca’s passion for Rock music, as through these years he has built a strong reputation among its peers reflected in the collaborators he has achieved for this new album; singers Göran Edman, Maria McTurk (Royal Hunt) and the Swedish revelation Nils Molin (Dynazty), among other stellar musicians.
Yes, the core of Stamina features Sellitto on guitar, Lorenzo Zarone on bass and drummer Andrea Barone, and for this new record the band has chosen to feature a bunch of monster vocalists instead of using exclusively the voice of touring singer Jacopo DiDomenico (another great shouter in his onw right).
On “Perseverance” Stamina offers an awesome genre bending and crossing music, mixing classic hard rock with progressive melodic metal and a touch of fusion groove, all combined with ingenious catchy melodies, varied and exciting arrangements and high musical and technical claims to themselves.
The distinctive voice of ex- Malmsteen extraordinary singer Goran Edman is working perfectly on the bombastic, over the top on keyboards & guitar riffs second track “Breaking Another String”, which with the opening song “Higher” – featuring Nils Molin adding a terrific melodic touch to the lead vocals – sets the mood in the excellency for the whole magical album, but each number is another essential piece to this ‘all killers, no filler’ CD.
Sometimes the musical texture is more defined, clear as it were. For instance, the title track moves as swift melodic rocker with distinct melodic metal edge. Alternatively, “Just Before Dawn” develops into more epic prog metal with loose nuances and, at the end, finishes with a most delicate and moving orchestral conclusion accented by piano and acoustic guitar.
That said, Stamina can pull off relatively straightforward hard rock songs as well with the Dio / Tony Martin-like “Wake Up the Gods”, and specially “I’m Alive”, being a prime example of a catchy song which once upon a while may well have gained some airplay on the radio.
The dexterity of the musicians and the ability to move between those different musical concepts with a natural ease and a strong feel is really exultant and very refreshing, even fascinating at a point that finally the music of the band sounds very original and addictive, revealing an unexpected creativity.
Just check the extremely melodic “Naked Eye”, a killer melodic hard rocker adorned with excellent layers of backing vocals, but in the middle the guys blend a fantastic set of Phrygian mode guitars (instead of the regular minor harmonic scales) with vintage keyboards backgrounds. A track far from ordinary for sure.
“Perseverance” by Stamina is the first great surprise of the year.
With a pack of terrifically composed songs, marvelous musicianship and splendid vocal performances, this CD is one of these rara avis tagged as ‘all killers, no filler’. Every note played is creative, pulsating and interesting. Ah, and production & mix are fantastic.
Make no exceptions here; prog metalers, melodic hard rockers and classic melodic metal fans, you should check this CD with no hesitation.
Highly Recommended.
01. Higher
02. Breaking Another String
03. I’m Alive
04. Just Before the Dawn
05. Perseverance
06. Naked Eye
07. Unbreakble
08. Wake Up the Gods
09. Winner for a Day
Luca Sellitto – Guitars
Lorenzo Zarone – Bass
Andrea Barone – Keyboards
Singers:
Göran Edman
Nils Molin (Dynazty)
Maria McTurk (Royal Hunt)
Giorgio Adamo (Stamina, Mind Key)
Jacopo DiDomenico
Additional Musicians:
Alessandro Beccati – Drums (4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)
Mirkko DeMaio – Drums (1, 2, 3 and 9)
Ilaria Adamo, Ilda Faiella – Female Backing Vocals
Daniela Lunelli – Cello
Pre-Order:
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HNRQT2G
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