The hard-blues opening leaves no doubt: “The Way To The Stars” is the passport to the stars signed by Revangels, a Milanese band now on their second album. Proud, visceral sounds, which smell of tube amplifiers, dust and sweat, with the ghost of Led Zeppelin walking arm in arm with the street urgency of Free, and the sincere urgency of musicians who chew this music right down to their guts. The album thrives on wild dynamics and muddy slowdowns, sudden hard-rock flare-ups and robust roundness that would work perfectly in radio airplay (the final “A Spark In The Darkness” is a fine example of this). The production, proudly analogue and free of futile modernisms, enhances the overall performance, restoring the impact and warmth of a band recording live, looking into each other's eyes.
The speed of “Lost!”, but also the soft caresses of “The Prayer Of Jabez”, the super saturated riffs of “You Gave Me All And Now You Leave” alongside the tremolo guitars and soul inflections of “Come Back To The Stars”, are just some of the ingredients of the stylistic mix proposed. And suddenly here's a lively and very personal cover of U2's “Angel Of Harlem”, opened by a riff that pays homage to Zeppelin's “Good Times Bad Times”, so as not to betray true passions. Seventies guitars, relentless rhythm section, absolutely credible voices for a product of international importance. In an age of algorithmic perfection, their devotion to the cause of the most authentic and sanguine rock sounds incredibly liberating. An album from times gone by, which in the CD version also offers a bonus tracks “The Way To The Stars”, recorded live at Abbey Road Studios in London.
04/07/2026
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
