Wednesday 22 November 2017

Dätcha Mandala - Rokh, album review



Liking the Lineage, Loads

Formally from Bordeaux and now Mérignac, French band Dätcha Mandala rock in the universal language of Lineage a la Led Zep and exist in that classic rock trio formation which has served so many other acolytes over heavy-time immemorial.

Band members are Nicolas Sauvey - (Lead Vocal/Bass/Acoustic guitar/Harmonica); Jérémy Saigne - ( Lead Guitar and Vocals), and Jb Mallet - (Drums and Vocals) and their delivery of Heavy-Blues-Psychédélique music is about as far-out as it gets, opening two tracks Have You Seen the Light [with space for proper head-banging] and Da Blues belting out the excellent template. Third Misery presents the requisite rock ballad [though it picks up pace], and vocalist Sauvey has a distinctive higher register that warbles with a similar though slightly more rasping Justin Hawkins. Fourth Anahata pumps back into pulverising mode.

Uncommon Travel is a riff-led metal track, the vocal harmonies spreading jam on the toast. Smiling Man is probably the more obvious ballad, an acoustic track graced with West Coast harmonies and lamenting strings so I am totally in my liking-zone by now. Human Free follows with blues and sitar so we are staying thoroughly in the other zone of Time, these mix of middle tracks reflecting a complex re-working of influences.

The album closes on twelve minutes of Loot, here even a little grunge flavour laying the butter beneath that jam, the spread also a chant under the band’s excellent triplet of playing expertise, and the song slows to more chanting before building back up through a sitar rage with pounding bass and drums to reside in a calming acoustic guitar with cello out.

A superb performance from an excellent band highly recommended here.




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