Rating: 8 / 10 Stars
DIRTY ELEKTRICITY is: George Larin (guitar), Karl Lean (bass), Andy Sharp (drums), Dean Burgess (vocals)
REVIEW – Veteran Australian metal guitarist George Larin (Nothing Sacred) has returned with a brand new release, and a brand new rock direction. Don’t get me wrong, this album still rocks, but if you’re looking for balls-out metal, then you won’t find it here. His new project is entitled DIRTY ELEKTRICITY and their self-titled debut album was independently released in late 2018.
Larin found vocalist Dean Burgess (Luthör) who has decided to rest his guitar licks and concentrate on his soaring vocal stylings. Larin plays all the instruments himself on this record, and leaves all the vocals to Dean. It results in a great sounding combination.
The disc starts of with “The Sinner”, and it alternates between a Foghat like boogie stomp and a Zeppelinesque grind. “The City” explains the perils of living in big cities, and the importance of those same cities to fledgling musical acts. The guitar riffs in the next track, “Power”, sounds like it could have been written by Tony Iommi and his mates in Sabbath. Lots of 80s sounds and phrasings in “Cold Hearted”, followed by more boogie rock in “Mean Street Racing”, which is about racing cars, and it mentions both the Devil and your soul, so I knew it was badass before even hearing it. The root chorus in the next song sounds like it would be “Devil Woman”, but is actually titled “Take It Easy”. “Country Woman” showcases Larin’s slide guitar work. “Reality” explores off-timed 4/4 beats, and “Iron Angels” borders on Larin’s traditional metal riffage. For a rock band, this track is very metal. Burgess takes 5, actually 2:59 on the final track, the eponymous blues rooted instrumental title track, which rounds out the album with a running time of just over 40 minutes.
It’s obvious that Larin and Burgess were having fun making this album. As it should be. Making music should be fun. If it’s successful as a result, then that’s just a bonus. This album has all the makings of that magic combination of fun and success.