Release Date: November 17th 2023. Record Label: Rocket Panda Management. Formats: DD
Samsation - Samsation - Tracklisting
1. Shiny Mama
2. Rail Oppressed
3. Frozen in Time
4. Black Cat
5. Psycho Boom
Members
Leo Samsa - lead vocals/keyboards
Rok Samsa - guitar/backing vocals
Bor Samsa - drums
Saša Cej - bass
Review
Psych/Blues/Acid/Retro Rockers Samsation self-titled debut EP is a highly confident release with the band focusing upon their love for all things 60’s and 70’s Rock with a capital RAWK. The EP is quite low-key with its reliance on subtle flashes of Blues Rock with some flashy Progressive chords appearing at the start. Though, the band are quite adept at playing Classic Hard Rock sounds with a twinge of melody and flashes of extended guitar solos.
The EP gets off to a highly confident start with opening track Shiny Mama which is where Samsation throw themselves into the wilder and freakier ACID ROCK style of the 1960’s with a mellow Blues Rock/Jazz approach on the later stages of the track. The vocals are overly powerful when the heavier moments appear with Samsation showing small traces of classic sounding Stoner Rock attitude.
Second song Rail Oppressed opens with a killer bassline and superb organ sounds with Samsation getting fully into the Hard Rock spirit with a moody atmosphere brewing in the background. Flashes of certain legendary bands of the 1960’s and 1970’s can be heard but Samsation uses these influences sparsely and wisely to allow their own blend of devilish music to grow at a natural pace. The seedy Blues Rock vibe once again sweetens the deal for some thrilling extended guitar solos.
The later stages have a more rebellious sound perhaps inspired by The Doors which you can feel within the creative strands of the excellent third song Frozen In Time with the vocals inspired by Jim Morrison in places but with a less is more delivery. The music remains gloriously hip to the 1960’s Rock scene with Samsation offering a more surreal and dreamlike rebellious sound.
The final two tracks of Black Cat and Psycho Boom have a more dynamic 1970’s Prog Rock and Classic Rock flair with the mood being more heavier with quite a Funk Rock driven sound appearing within Black Cat. Psycho Boom is the heaviest and aggressive track on the EP where Samsation almost ventures into the world of DOOM ROCK but that Classic Hard Rock swagger avoids that collision for perhaps the standout track on the EP.
Samsation’s debut EP is a superbly entertaining affair for its twenty four minutes run time with the band delivering and playing all the right notes to make themselves known within the Classic Hard Rock scene. I have a feeling the band will offer something different for their next release and this is just a stepping stone for Samsation to entice listeners with. And I’ll be waiting with great interest for their next release. As this is a great release. End Of.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Rocket Panda Management for the promo.
You can listen to Samsation debut EP in full thanks to the cool folks over at Rocket Panda Management.
Links
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