FIREWORKS - UK

Wicked Minds - Witchflower
Well this is turn up for the books. All my rock life I've wondered about the lack of any classic rock bands from Italy(and France). Sure we got some successful metal bands like Rhadsody now, but really good classic hard rock bands...nada. So I wasn't expecting much when I slipped in this CD from Italian rockers Wicked Minds. Wow....just goes to show how sometimes preconceptions can be wrong. Wicked Minds are a 5 piece based around the writing skills of keyboardist Paolo Negri and singer J.C. Cinel( no discernable accent, thankfully), and these guys wear their love of 70s Deep Purple well and truely on their sleeve's.Imagine, if you can, an amalgam of Deep Purple and Classic Uriah Heep with a touch of Free and early Magnum. Combine that with lovingly constructed arrangements and intelligent songwriting, and you have what amounts to one of the biggest surprises I've had this year. These guys rock! And with Negri playing Hammond, Moog, Mellowtron, Electric piano and harpiscord amongst many other instruments, lover's of 70s prog rock are going to be in for a heaven! I really thought they didn't make them like this anymore. They even have the temerity to cover Purple's "Soldier of Fortune" and give it that something extra. We also get a second disc full of bonus tracks, promo videos and live recordings (and where else but in Italy could you get away with a promo video featuring two chicks making out together on a sofa!). This album is nothing short of a masterpiece of 70s rock, and really l shouldn't be reviewing it(PJS will love this). But if great songs, great keyboards, great riffs all wrapped up in a loving 70's hard/prog rock is your thing, you wont find much better.
Reviewed by Bruce Mee