Readers who take note of such things may have noticed that we have featured a fair few Italian bands recently, this being for the simple reason that the Italian music scene is currently awash with class bands who have been kicking out some seriously good albums of late. Motorfingers are no exception. Boasting a line-up including members of Bad Obsession and Big Ones (highly respected tribute acts to Guns ‘n’ Roses and Aerosmith respectively) and a list of influences including Faith no more, G’n’R, Velvet Revolver and Black Label Society, it’s clear from the outset that Motorfinger are hell-bent on unleashing an album of radio-slaying rock ‘n’ roll, a task in which they mostly succeed.
‘Black mirror’, then, is a nine-track blast of radio-friendly, adrenalin-soaked rock music that kicks off with the almighty ‘bastards and saints’ a track that mixes up BLS and Motley Crue and introduces you nicely to the Motorfingers sound – hard driving riffs, pounding production and pop-infused melodies all destined to conquer the minds of all who hear it. It’s brilliantly produced too, and the whole package oozes sheer class from the weight of the riffs to the power of the vocals, highlighting the fact that Motorfingers certainly have the talent to take over the airwaves. ‘Dust over stone’ is similarly epic in scope, huge riffs introducing the song, coupled with the sort of melodies that Bon Jovi would sell his soul to still be writing. It’s heavy, with an almighty groove to it, but the band never forget the devastating power of a well-crafted melody, as evidenced on third track ‘in my dreams’ which is in a similar vein to US metal titans Fozzy with its brilliant grinding riffs and melodic nuances, although the impromptu rap moments grate a little, cutting it a little too close to nu-metal berks Linkin Park for comfort. ‘Mad crime’ sees things fully back on track with a heavy opening riff giving way to an acoustic led track that sits between latter-day Pink Floyd, Metallica and Pearl Jam with its rippling guitars giving way to bursts of power-chord fury on the chorus, not to mention the awesome solos that cut across the bridge and it is an album highlight.
Having impressed on the first half of the album, things do settle into something of a pattern for the second half of the record. ‘My soul’ comes crashing in on the sort of riff Zakk Wylde hears in his sleep before stripping away the layers for the lighter verse, the dynamic making the chorus sound simply huge when it kicks back in. ‘Lost’ has a funky groove to it, the addictive chorus seemingly tailor-made for radio play and while the chorus rocks it would be good to hear the band cut loose a little more rather than stick to the same quiet verse/loud chorus formulae that permeates the album, although the crunching bridge rocks hard. ‘Fallen brother’ kicks in with a slower riff, providing the gravitas the title suggests whilst the track musically recalls Live in the ‘Throwing copper’ days, impassioned vocals and guitars mixing it up nicely, although the structure remains frustratingly identical to previous tracks. ‘Out of control’, at least suggest a more energetic blast, but just as the storming riff gets your head banging, the band pull it back at the last moment. It’s certainly the heaviest track here, but the band feel restrained, and they sound far from out of control despite the title of the song. Final track ‘here I am’ finishes in much the same vein – heavy intro riff slipping into a quieter verse before cranking things up a notch for a noisy conclusion.
There is much to enjoy in ‘Black Mirror’ – the production is first rate, the band talented and the melodies are memorable. Indeed, the album overall is immensely likable and it’s true to say that there are few bands playing this brand of melodic hard rock these days, so it’s good to hear Motorfingers pop up and do it well. However, as an album there are problems, most significantly the fact that Motorfingers have discovered a winning formulae and stuck to it like glue to the point that, by the end of the album, you can more or less predict every move the band is going to make. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing over the course of one, nine-track record and overall it is a good record. However, if the band wish to develop, they need to move beyond the self-imposed restrictions they have placed upon themselves on this release and experiment with different structures and sounds or they will stagnate rapidly. ‘Black mirrors’ is an enjoyable album, then, for the most part, but not quite the classic its creators imagined; it’s well worth exploring, but approach with caution.
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