stoner rock
Full Throttle is an album by French stoner rock group Hypnotic Drive, released on June 14. Thirty eight minutes long, the record has nine tracks: Five Regrets, Voodoo Witch, The Ride, Crossroads, Darkened White, Heading South, Subway Preacher, Barbwire and Thunderstorm. With a gracious sound that easily displays a magnanimous dynamic of very conspicuous abrasiveness, Hypnotic Drive is a graceful band, that carries on the wingspan of their musical abilities the best the genre has to offer. Flirting a little with punk rock and hardcore – but very little –, the group has really outstood itself on Full Throttle, in a glorious compromise that drives insane melodies throughout the intense ambiguities of a universe made of sound, soul, style and exasperatingly consistent condescendence.
The first song of the album, “Five Regrets”, for me was simply the best. Seemingly reminiscent of The Misfits – and thus subtly flirting with a very impatient, but singular reference to punk rock –, the record begins in a greatly abrasive style, that introduces the primary features of the musical artistry designed by Hypnotic Drive. As the album progresses, the sound gets heavier, though, unfortunately, excessively uniform. A little before mid-album, the music begins to sound more and more similar to one another, and starts losing distinction. Eventually, the album, that retains a decent musicality all the way through, becomes somewhat a little monotonous, and subsequently, predictable.
Don’t get me wrong: Full Throttle is a good album, and you are going to deeply appreciate the record, especially if you are an enthusiast of the genre. Since the first song is formidably sensational, but the rest of the album is simply “too good”, so to speak, it’s inevitable to feel a little disappointed by the sudden creative decline that unravels throughout the rest of the album. Nonetheless, Full Throttle is not a deception. If you like the genre, you will positively feel good about it.
Despite their genuine level of vicious creativity, Hypnotic Drive thus fall in some ordinary categorical features of stoner rock, failing to avoid some generic musical traits. In what concerns authenticity, though, they still manage to be above the average degree.
While Full Throttle is not exactly magnificent, it stands as a good exemplar of the genre, acquiring the potential to greatly please its audience, and to have a modest acceptance within the underground community.
Wagner
The first song of the album, “Five Regrets”, for me was simply the best. Seemingly reminiscent of The Misfits – and thus subtly flirting with a very impatient, but singular reference to punk rock –, the record begins in a greatly abrasive style, that introduces the primary features of the musical artistry designed by Hypnotic Drive. As the album progresses, the sound gets heavier, though, unfortunately, excessively uniform. A little before mid-album, the music begins to sound more and more similar to one another, and starts losing distinction. Eventually, the album, that retains a decent musicality all the way through, becomes somewhat a little monotonous, and subsequently, predictable.
Don’t get me wrong: Full Throttle is a good album, and you are going to deeply appreciate the record, especially if you are an enthusiast of the genre. Since the first song is formidably sensational, but the rest of the album is simply “too good”, so to speak, it’s inevitable to feel a little disappointed by the sudden creative decline that unravels throughout the rest of the album. Nonetheless, Full Throttle is not a deception. If you like the genre, you will positively feel good about it.
Despite their genuine level of vicious creativity, Hypnotic Drive thus fall in some ordinary categorical features of stoner rock, failing to avoid some generic musical traits. In what concerns authenticity, though, they still manage to be above the average degree.
While Full Throttle is not exactly magnificent, it stands as a good exemplar of the genre, acquiring the potential to greatly please its audience, and to have a modest acceptance within the underground community.
Wagner
