Stelios Ventas is an Athens-born guitarist who’s played guitar since the tender age of 14. Influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath and Metallica, his first love remains the riff, but his latest EP, Faded Flower, has a southern rock vibe with dusty, Izzy Stradlin-esque vocals and soaring solos. A five track effort, Faded Flower sees Stelios playing almost everything himself, only bringing in bassist Sotiris Pirounias to add a suitably dynamic low end to the mix.
An impressive start to the EP, the title track has a desert vibe, Stelios dragging the riff to give it a laid-back feel accentuated by the mid-tempo percussion. With subtle vocal harmonies adding depth and some blistering lead work, faded flower is the perfect introduction to Stelios’ work. Next up, the stripped-back blues-rock of the way I do recalls the none-cooler Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with its louche vocal, trippy keys and slithery leads. Edging into the patchouli-scented world of psychedelia, it’s an unexpected and interesting diversion off the highway, whilst the gargantuan solo that Stelios lays down at its heart is spectacular. My Queen, at just shy of five minutes, is the EP’s longest song. It opens with nimble, G’n’R style guitar work (think Knockin’ on heaven’s door) and it’s arguably the least successful track here, the backing track feeling too low in the mix as if it really is just there as a platform for Stelios’ elegant soloing. It’s far from a bad track, but it needs a remix to really bring out its charms. Alone in the desert gets things back on track, the grungier guitars recalling Richard Hawley’s remarkable standing at the sky’s edge with vintage tube distortion and a hypnotic pace keeping the listener hooked. Another track that flirts with psychedelia and classic rock tropes without edging into pastiche, alone in the desert is an EP highlight. The record closes with it’s been a long time, the oddest moment on the EP as its closest reference point would be Soul Asylum with its slightly fey vocal and rippling guitar. It lacks the dusty vibe of the other tracks on offer and it feels undercooked in comparison to the title track and alone in the desert, although the lead work remains exemplary throughout.
Although Faded Flower has much to offer, it’s not perfect and it is here that the disadvantage of handling everything yourself becomes apparent. A little more quality control and this would have been an outstanding three-track EP, but my queen and it’s been a long time are notably weaker than the other tracks on offer and they distract from the quite excellent song-writing apparent elsewhere. There’s no doubt that Stelios has considerable skill and faded flower is certainly worth checking out, but a little more restraint next time out would certainly reap rewards. 6.5
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