Kamchatka – Buy Your Roots (2011)

01.Perfect						play
02.Hindsight
03.TV Blues
04.The Same
05.Demonbelly
06.Good Night
07.Bye Bye Mind's Eye
08.Puppet
09.Before Things Get Rough
10.Worried						play
11.I've Got To Learn
12.Bury Your Roots

Roger Öjersson - lead vocals & bass
Thomas "Juneor" Andersson - lead vocals & guitar
Tobias Strandvik – drums
+
Per Wiberg - keys on Before Things Get Rough
Daniel Norgren - saw on Bye Bye Mind's Eye
Marco Bylander - middle guitar solo on Worried

Once more, on their fourth album Bury Your Roots, we find Sweden's Kamchatka in their comfort zone, delivering heavier melodic blues-laced rock. Kamchatka are both heralds and conveyors of the earthy harder rock from deep in the late 60's and early 70's. Is that such a bad thing? These guys are good, especially when, for the most part, every song on the platter is equally entertaining.

Most impressive, after a spin or two, are several elements: the pleasing harmonious vocal arrangements, strong rock groove and, of course, the ambitious and delicious guitar work. All these are wrapped up in rather interesting arrangements that find Kamchatka offering fast heavy rockers to symphonic infused rock to near slow stoner rock. While Bury Your Roots can sound like a warp back in time, there is certainly a freshness to the music. Perhaps it's from authenticity and passion you hear, and feel, in the delivery.

Here then are some highlights touching on the aforementioned notes. The opener Perfect is perfect to draw the new listener into Kamchatka sound; it's a brisk rocker with a strong groove and clicking solo. Hindsight channels some of that Seventies psychedelic feel especially with fuzz-busting and ripping solo. Blues invades the rock on TV Blues. A more modern turn might be found in Demonbelly, a song that straddles lightness and heaviness and offers a pitched solo that seems to merge guitar with sitar. (Don't let that put you off.) Kamchatka brings strings to the longest track, Before Things Get Rough, but heaviness returns in the latter half. Oddly entertaining is Bye Bye Mind's Eye with its eerie whistling atmosphere. Other songs are less eclectic. I've Got to Learn turns mostly on a melodic lighter motif; Worried has a simple earthy rock feel; and, Bury Roots is another brisk rocker with some fine fret work.

The only downside here maybe in the mix. Starting, with Good Night, but definitely Bye Bye Mind's Eye, there was noticeable layer of distortion in the songs. It's a scratchy sound, like fingernails rubbing over coarse sandpaper. I'm not sure what to make of it, as I've downloaded it twice now from the label and still hear it. Perhpas it was intened, yet It was distracting.

Regardless of this, Bury Your Roots is signature Kamchatka, and maybe, just ever so slightly, more progressive. A diverse album of melodic heavier rock, it's hard not to be both intrigued and entertained. Very recommended. --- Craig Hartranft, dangerdog.com

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