Four years on from the band’s amazing ‘Speaks Evil’ album and Italian glam punks Giuda have produced perhaps one of their most surprising career moves to date, by signing with the UK doom metal label, Rise Above Records for the release of their fourth album ‘E.V.A’.
I’m certainly not knocking it, as I have a lot of time and respect for Lee Dorrian and his label having produced some superb doom releases over their 30 years in the business. It’s just Giuda…alongside the likes of Church Of Misery, Uncle Acid and Witchsorrow, I mean c’mon c’mon, do they really don’t wanna be in this gang?
In saying this though I do get that Rival Sons, Blackberry Smoke and The Temperance Movement signing for Earache didn’t exactly do them any harm career-wise, and seeing that Giuda will also have the recently signed Danko Jones alongside as label mates it does all kind of stack up, and as long as they continue to pen the feel-good anthems we have all goto love them for then…who cares?
‘E.V.A’ then picks up exactly where ‘Speaks Evil’ left off with ‘Overdrive’ the band’s first single from the album, cruising along on a throbbing ‘70s AC/DC rhythm complete with a glam rock hook that should have all the young Droogs screaming along at the tops of their voices when the band take the album on the road. This really is the sound of Giuda at the very top of their game.
‘Space Walk’ is the first of three glam slammers (the others ‘Space Go’ and ‘Ravers Rock’) on ‘E.V.A’ that harks back to the semi-instrumental highlights of ‘Racey Roller’ albeit here they have a touch of Space Ace sci-fi flair (rather than turned up denim flares) just to be added to the cool factor.
Elsewhere ‘Interplanetary Craft’ has more than a hint of late ’70s Who about it, resonating on an almost New Romantic melody line that sees Ntenda and the boys adding yet another new influence to their musical melting pot sound. This influence doesn’t end here either as my favourite track on the album ‘Cosmic Love’ could very well have been an outtake from the first Duran Duran album, yes it really is that good.
I’m sure the band’s fan base will be open-minded enough to accept the band moving to a more ‘80s influence sound as the New Romantic scene wasn’t really such a seismic leap away from ‘70s glam was it?
Of course there are still plenty of the band’s trademark glamthems on ‘E.V.A’ and the pretty vacant ‘I’ve Had Enough’, ‘No Place To Hide’, ‘You’ve Got The Power’ and ‘Junk’ are all going to get you tucking your thumbs in your belt loopholes pretty damn sharpish, trust me.
With their trademark ten songs and thirty three minutes of music designed to confuse and enthuse in equal amounts, ‘E.V.A’ – just like with ‘Speaks Evil’ – demands repeat plays to fully get the tunes embedded in your cranium, but once they are in there really is no escaping them.
Oh, and before I forget one of the real bonuses of the band signing for Rise Above Records is that Giuda vinyl collecting nerds everywhere should be in seventh heaven (or should that be hell) with all the different pressings released on April 5th.
Go on…fill your (stackheel) boots.
Buy E.V.A Here
Author: Johnny Hayward
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