SHAKRA – Everest

The last few months the Hard Rock scene has been boiling, giving life to new bands that try to make their way out of oblivion. Although, this is kind of cruel to these hard working acts –at least most of them- the fans of this scene can help but feel lucky. There is plenty of music out there for this scene that seems to be revived inside this Metalcore turbulence surrounding us. Well, in order to be precise the ‘newcomer’ tag cannot be placed on the front cover of Shakra’s third discographic attempt. This Swiss band has been around from the mid 90s and has already two full length albums prior to this one in question. Judging by the quality of the previous albums one can admit that Everest is a logical title since the band has been in a rising course.

The main elements in Hard Rock are the striking melodies and –of course– the hard hitting guitar riffs that are there to lift you up. “Ashes To Ashes” serves exactly these purposes entering with a catchy main guitar riff and Mark Harsh vocals. The main melody has the arena Rock air with a catchy structure that sets anchor to the listeners mind from the very beginning. “Love & Pain” comes next and the Gotthard influences become something more than vivid. It’s okay when a band has striking influences but with Shakra this becomes way too obvious. The vocals, the guitars and the general song structure breathes Gotthard’s Lipservice air just like “Let Me Lie My Life To You” does. After additional CD spins this is the only drawback in the new Shakra album; the Swiss band cannot escape its influences putting a limit to their potential, that judging by the quality of the compositions, are of a high standard.

To be fair enough, Gotthard is not the only band in Shakra’s influence list; Europe are also there while some early Bon Jovi finishing touches can also be found in the clean guitars of “The Illusion Of Reality.”

The sound production really shines on Everest and keeps the energy in high levels fairly treating the guitars that simply dominate the music along the distinct vocal lines. In songs like “Right Between The Eyes” or “The Journey” Shakra tries their luck in heavier structures that based on a personal taste are characterized as successful. This ‘heavier’ sounding road can lead the band to a more personal profile and take a step away from the influences that put the Gotthard name more than the necessary times in this text.

Currently, the band is looking for a new singer and actually had to cancel (or postpone) their forthcoming tour plans since there is still no fitting replacement for Mark’s position behind the mic. Until then, AOR/Hard Rock fans can find many things to enjoy in Everest as long as they are not bothered by the countless encounters with the aforementioned influencing band.