The Future Of Rock?
It’s like stoner rock got fed up with waiting for a revival as Sabatta lay siege to the rock scene that time seems to have forgot, complete with a modern twist to enslave all once more. The London trio have delved deep into the history of rock for their sound, filtering through the rubbish, the mediocre and the downright strange as they smuggle out only the best bits, clinging lovingly to them before dousing the whole thing with a fist full Sabatta inspired originality. With the laid back, chilled coolness of The Doors bubbling throughout, a sprinkling of Lenny Kravitz-esque groove driven full force rock and a splash of Led Zeppelin grandeur, Sabatta have concocted a heady cocktail of noise, providing a vigorously driven nugget of rock that simply smoulders with a classic charge of melodic mastery.
Instantly unleashing a hook heavy guitar riff that mingles with a crash of pounding drums, ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ wastes no time in showing the classic rock card with an energetic rush of enthusiasm that will instantly appeal. As lead singer Yinka’s, groove laced vocals strut in, brazenly boasting a coolness that oozes confidence from every breath, everything for Sabatta seems to slot together. This is more than an homage to classic rock, Sabatta have taken the sound of stoner fuelled 70s rock and brought it bang up to date, arguably jumping ahead to let us all see the future of rock to come. Title track, ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ managed to wield a psychedelic mellowness that erupts with a riff ravaged rampage whilst ‘Exit Right’ brandishes some Queens Of The Stone Age sleaze fed riffs that whirl off in search of a desert road to haunt and terrorize. But Sabatta aren’t finished showing their heavier side just yet. Spraying everything with an enthusiastic splash of hard hitting, superbly sleaze addled rock, ‘Ain’t No One Alive’ saunters and struts with a laid back calmness that constricts with a dirty rawness that boldly flaunts chant out loud choruses amongst hauntingly, threat filled vocals to send shivers of terror and pleasure through every inch of your body.
From the whiskey ravaged growls of ‘Exit Right’ and even a cover of ‘Ace Of Spades’ complete with a new melodic twist that refuses to accept surrender, Sabatta are able to proceed into the vulnerable gentility of ‘Thorn’ with ease, effortlessly jumping from the hard hitting, fist pounding attack of razor sharp riffs that pound with a water tight rhythm section to acoustic led tenderness, allowing ‘Emperors New Clothes’ to showcase a band at the height of their game. Polished and leaving no room for error, ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ is an album that most bands would sacrifice their lead guitarist for. Professional and yet still retaining a raw, gritty edge to each track to guarantee you feel every punch with glee, ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ is, simply put, brilliant. Sabatta have shown the future of rock; time to jump aboard before everyone else beats you to it.