Matti
Alfonzetti first caught my attention, when he was playing with Myke Gray (Skin) in Jagged Edge. Later on he formed Skintrade and went for a solo career a few years back using the
Alfonzetti band name.
I never picked up
Alfonzetti's debut album, but only heard good things about it. Therefore my expectations were high when I received the new album "Machine". My expectations rose because Mikael Höglund was playing bass. He has played in one of my old favorite bands Thunder.
I must admit that I am quite disappointed in "Machine". This time
Alfonzetti is introducing a modern sound with some electronic elements. The guitar sound is very machine-like almost as in industrial metal. This does not suit the music of
Alfonzetti.
However, everything should not be blamed on the more electronic approach to things, because some songs just don't have high standards. Examples are
Boss of Me, which sounds very uninspired and is lacking a great chorus. The title
Bitter End is almost tragicomic, because the ballad is quite dull. The song writing skills is also lacking in
Barbie Doll, which is a primitive song with drum programming.
Not everything is all bad. There are a couple of great songs on "Machine". For example the almost title track
My Machine, which succeeds in combining sound effects and Hard Rock.
My Machine has a nice "surf" guitar riff and has something that most songs are lacking - A great chorus. The Live track
In the Groove is definitely the album highlight. The song is a great melodic Hard Rock song and this was the music style I was expecting on this album. I wish there were more songs on "Machine" in this vein. Decent tracks are the power ballad
Give it all Away with a nice acoustic guitar and
Live in Sin is respectable too.
Matti
Alfonzetti's voice is very strong and sounds great on the whole album. The slight vocal distortion on a track like
It Speaks is a shame, because his voice sounds much better "clean".
Overall only half the songs on "Machine" are decent or great. For a veteran like
Alfonzetti this cannot be satisfying. I might be giving this album a hard time, but I am pretty sure that this is a record I won't be playing in a year.
Better luck next time.
Written by
Michael Monday, October 7, 2002
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