Review: Zelinka - Zelinka

Info

Band: Zelinka

Album: Zelinka

Style: EVERYTHING!

Released: October 2013

Label: none

Country: Germany

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zelinka.Music

As it's Christmas soon, I thought I'd make you the present of another review. Am I nice, or what? But to be serious: I had to introduce you to this band as I only heard of them myself a couple of weeks ago. I was quite sure that there wasn't one album to be released that would make me change my Top5 list of my favourite albums in 2013 – well, I was wrong.

I doubt that I introduced you to YSMA earlier this year (shame on me) but ZELINKA are kind of a similar band. Less proggy but still instrumental. And good. No, awesome! Zelinka starts with a song called “Catacomb”. I know I said the album was less proggy – well, this song isn't. It's got a lot of breaks, a lot of changes, brilliant solos; in short, everything you need. If it wasn't for the length which sometimes makes me want the song to end. “Safaga”, however, couldn't be long enough. Funky, rocking, and simply one of the best songs on the album, that song's possibly the reason for many bassists amongst you to put their instruments aside for a while. Listen to “Safaga” and you'll know what I mean.

If you always though about what Spanish summers would sound like, “Silent” is the track for you. Acoustic guitars, Latin European melodies (if there even is a Latin Europe), and an electric guitar solo that gives me goose bumps. Following this is “Room No. 15” with a blues-like groove to it. You just can't complain about change on this album: it's always there! It's kind of hard to write during the verse as I am always jumping up from my chair to dance to it. Oh, and don't get me started about the bass solo!

And here comes rock again. “Toxic” (no, it's not a Britney Spears cover) has jazz-like rock solos in it that can't not be loved! Every guitarist should listen closely here as this is (without doubt) great music. The name “Chill Out” already indicates the chilled-out atmosphere in the beginning of the track. Following this is a nice lead that sticks to your head forever (believe me, I know what I'm talking about as I already listened to the album for the last couple of weeks). These six minutes will be gone like nothing. Guaranteed by New Rock Reviews!

Back to funk: “Funky Bitch” already hints at what you can and should expect. As in “Room No. 15” I can't sit around listening to this track, and just have to move around the room dancing. Pure brilliance (the song not my dancing, that is). Blues fans will be delighted about “The Cat”. It's really hard to sit still listening to Zelinka – and when hard rock enters the song for a short riff during the end, I know I have to love this album! Where do these guys get their ideas from? That stuff is brilliant!

Hard rock wasn't the worst choice of words, by the way. “Gipsy March” (yeah, I know, politically incorrect) is a hard rock song! Boom! The only style that I was missing on the album. These guitars and riffs would have made many long-haired rockers headbanging. But – what – is that reggae? It's … reggae. I'm speechless. Hard rock and reggae in one and the same song – that's what I call courage. The last one on the album is “Raindrops”, a song that has an atmosphere to make you dream like when you're looking out the window on a rainy Sunday. What a nice ending for ZELINKA's debute.

ZELINKA can't be doubted in terms of music. Nor can they be doubted in terms of songwriting. NOR can they be doubted in terms of variation. One point, however, is sometimes a bit less brilliant: A singer would have made this album a 10. Without doubt.

Listen to: “Safaga”, “Room No. 15”, “Funky Bitch”, “Gipsy March”, “Raindrops”

9.5 out of 10 points

Tracklist

1. Catacomb

2. Safaga

3. Silent

4. Room No. 15

5. Toxic

6. Chill Out

7. Funky Bitch

8. The Cat

9. Gipsy March

10. Raindrops

Members

Guitars: Bernd Fleischer

Bass: Torsten Großmann

Drums: Kay Rohr